Give Me Shelter
by Rasengan22
Summary: Sasuke's roommate goes away for the summer, leaving Naruto as a highly recommended temporary replacement.
1. press X to BOND

"Oh, a storm is threat'ning  
My very life today  
If I don't get some shelter  
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away"

-_Gimme Shelter_, Rolling Stones

* * *

**For madsanja**

* * *

Sasuke sat at the table, gazing gloomily out a window, waiting for his roommate to arrive. Normally, he would've gone straight home after a long workday, but Shikamaru had sounded as if he had something important that needed to be discussed.

It was early May. The winter had been long, the Spring rainy. He knew _that_ much because six days out of the week, he'd commute downtown for work, and that was just enough exposure to the outside world to note a change in seasons. Irritably, he tapped his fingers on the red and white checked tablecloth, staring disinterestedly as a waitress flew past him with a large pizza atop a silver tray. As if on cue, his stomach growled. He'd had a yogurt for breakfast but nothing for lunch.

The door swung open - Sasuke had seated himself so that he'd be facing it - and Shikamaru walked inside. Immediately he headed in Sasuke's direction and sat in the opposite chair with a tired grunt.

"It seemed like every moron tourist and their mother was waiting to get on the C tonight."

The waitress stopped at their table. She brought Shikamaru a glass of water and gave them another few minutes to decide their order.

Sasuke shifted in the chair and set his elbow on the table. He sent Shikamaru a pointed, curious look.

"Ah," Shikamaru briefly glanced at the menu. "Are we getting the same as usual?"

Sasuke glared. "Are you going to tell me why we had to meet for dinner, and why this couldn't wait until we were both at the apartment?"

Shikamaru chuckled while tugging at his tie, loosening it. He stretched nervously, reaching behind his head to tighten that stubby ponytail he always wore.

"Right, well, I thought we could wait until we ordered," Shikamaru said.

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. "I'd prefer if you got straight to the point. Then I can decide whether or not I want to stay."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "So stubborn." He glanced off to his right before rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked more tired than usual. "Fine," he sighed.

Sasuke waited with a dull expression, head tilted a bit to the side.

"I'm moving out."

Sasuke blinked at him several times. "Pardon?"

Shikamaru grabbed his glass of water and swallowed a generous amount. "For the summer. I have to go out of town to take care of some…private business."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow but wasn't interested enough in his roommate's affairs to pry, especially if he was unwilling to volunteer any further, specific information.

"But," Shikamaru said, licking the corner of his bottom lip. "I'm going to take care of the sublease. I have someone in mind."

"Someone in mind?" Sasuke repeated, nearly growling. "I don't want to live with some stranger for three months."

Shikamaru sighed again, on the verge of appearing desperate. "Listen, I wouldn't do this if it wasn't important, and it's better than trying to rent it out online. In this city who knows what'll show up at your door, but…"

Sasuke's fingers scraped across the tablecloth. He placed the hand back down into his lap. "But?"

"But," Shikamaru continued after mulling over his thoughts, "I need to use savings I might otherwise use to pay the rent ahead for what I need to do."

With Shikamaru being so vague, Sasuke found it difficult to find more to inquire on the subject. For a long while they stared at one another until the waitress came by to take their order. She was ever the professional, disregarding the obvious tension between the two of them. Shikamaru ordered a large pizza with sausage, peppers, and mushrooms.

When she went away, Sasuke cleared his throat and spoke: "Who is it?"

A nervous habit, Shikamaru hunched his shoulders and slouched against his chair. "A friend of mine. He's going to need to relocate soon."

"Relocate?" Sasuke asked, frowning. "From where?"

"Brooklyn," Shikamaru said. He picked at the edge of the rolled silverware, tearing at the napkin. "I've known him," He scratched his chin and forced a thoughtful expression. "Four? Five years?"

"Have you mentioned him before?"

Shikamaru gave a nod of the head. "Maybe. We don't run around in the same circles as much anymore."

"Why are you being vague?"

"Am I?" Shikamaru intoned lazily, sounding amused at the suggestion he'd go to the trouble of hiding something.

Sasuke restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Whatever. So what does he do? Can he pay rent?"

Shikamaru nodded again, rolling the silverware around the table. He cleared his throat. "He's, uh, into bonds. I think. I don't know, but I can vouch for him that he can afford rent just fine. He…switches jobs frequently, so it's hard to keep track of everything he does."

"But he is employed currently?" Sasuke watched the silverware roll back and forth, feeling as if he wasn't getting the full story here.

"Oh yeah," Shikamaru muttered as he turned his face away. "Nearly every night. I've never actually seen someone work so hard in my life. He tires me out. He may work even more than _you_ do."

Sasuke grunted at the comparison and sneered. "I don't care. I'll trust you, Shikamaru, because I don't have time to look for a subleaser on my own, but - "

"But?" Shikamaru pushed the silverware away. He leaned back and threw an arm across the top of the empty chair next to him.

"But if this doesn't work out," Sasuke said, hunching over the table. "I'm not above calling in a favor."

Shikamaru chuckled heartily under his breath. "The good news is he has a sense of humor. It's, perhaps, not as dry as yours."

Sasuke smirked in a self-satisfied sort of way. "Good. I didn't really want to have to be in the debt of the Russian mafia that hangs around near Coney Island."

"Though I have this feeling I'm going to be a bit sad that I won't be able to see the two of you interacting with one another."

"Just because we live in the same apartment doesn't mean we have to interact with one another," Sasuke replied.

"Of course." Shikamaru smirked, eyes glinting with warmth and perceptiveness. "You're both workhorses, and he tends to work a later shift, so I'm sure your schedules will make it so you don't have to see each other often. If that's what you want."

"I thought you said you didn't know what his current occupation is."

"Well," his roommate said quickly, "He works a lot because he always keeps several jobs. And I'm fairly sure one of them involves working evenings."

Sasuke propped an elbow on the edge of the table and squinted. "Is there something I need to know? You make him sound like a stripper."

Shikamaru snorted. "Naruto? A stripper? No, no. I think that's one job he's never quite attempted. At least not professionally."

Sasuke ignored the latter part of the statement. His mouth thinned in contemplation. Sasuke's instincts were against this, but he'd known Shikamaru Nara long enough to trust his judgment, and though he did not trust easily, he felt that should any conflict arise, the matter would be dealt with promptly on his part.

"Fine."

"Really?" Shikamaru didn't even try to feign his surprise at Sasuke's agreement.

"Sure." Sasuke shrugged. "I can always kick him out."

Shikamaru chuckled; Sasuke gave him an odd look.

"That's funny?"

"It is. When you meet him, you'll see why. Naruto's one of the most easy-going, open-minded guys I've ever met. He grows on you."

"I've never heard an instance where any sort of _growth_ has been referred to as beneficial."

"It's a figure of speech." Shikamaru sighed. "Besides, he's the best choice."

For a brief instant, Sasuke considered that he should ask exactly where and what Shikamaru would be doing over the summer, but, in reality, he had very little interest in knowing. If Shikamaru wanted to inform Sasuke of his plans, he would.

In a matter of minutes, the pizza was placed before them, and the topic of Naruto was conveniently dropped in favor of complaining about work, and when it came to his job, Sasuke had more than his fair share of, well, _issues_.

* * *

A week went by quickly. Sasuke had a large project at work that kept him busy. Shikamaru had offered him a chance to meet Naruto for lunch one day, but the company was keeping him swamped. Mostly because everyone on his team was incompetent and any work they did, Sasuke would then have to redo.

It was ten minutes before 5 o'clock when a head of spiky silver hair popped inside the doorway of his office.

"Yeah, Sasuke," his boss drawled. "I'm gonna need you to come in here on Saturday…"

Sasuke didn't look up from his laptop screen. "I'm already coming in on Saturday, and that's no longer funny after the 32nd time of you trying it."

Kakashi stepped fully into the doorway, chuckling as he glanced around Sasuke's barren office.

"How about you come in on Sunday, too?"

Sasuke glanced up from the screen. "Really? Is there something else that got screwed up?"

"No…I just thought we could have some donuts and chat like old times."

Sasuke stared at him. "We've never _chatted_. And I don't eat donuts."

Kakashi nodded. He wasn't even listening to Sasuke. He tugged at one of his suspenders. "So I hear you're getting a new roommate?"

Sasuke sat up straighter in his chair. "Who told you that?"

Kakashi glanced at him, looking rather bored with the conversation already. "Bill from accounting."

"Who?"

"You know," Kakashi gestured vaguely with his hand out the window as if Bill would be out there washing the glass. "Bill from accounting."

"I have a lot of work to do, could you leave now?" Sasuke ignored his boss and went back to coding. He liked coding because it didn't talk.

Kakashi glanced at his nails, looked at Sasuke, then declared he was going to go bother Kiba, one of Sasuke's team members. Probably the biggest idiot of them all.

"You do that," Sasuke mumbled as his office door closed and he was left in peace.

* * *

It was near the end of May. Birds were chirping, pigeons were crapping on the windshields of cars, Times Square had officially become a hazard to walk around for the next few months, not that Sasuke would bother except that one of his favorite sushi restaurants was on 45th and 8th. He'd just come off the subway, which smelled a little less like urine than this morning. He'd left work a bit early as his new roommate should be moving in today. Curiosity had gotten the best of him, but, not only that, his mother had taught him some manners, and he thought he might offer his help in moving boxes if it was needed.

Outside the apartment complex - an older walk-up, eight stories, worn, brick exterior - there was a moving truck. Shikamaru had put his furniture away in storage. No one was inside or around the truck, so Sasuke went in through the propped entrance.

He lived on the fourth floor. The stairway was carpeted in a murky green color, and there was always a bit of a musty smell.

The apartment door was open, and Sasuke could already see several boxes stacked inside the living room. There was a considerable amount of shuffling going on as he walked in and gave a cautious look around. Not seeing anyone right away, Sasuke went down the hallway toward the second bedroom. The door was open, and he looked inside, not thinking anything of it. In the center of the room, his back to Sasuke, stood a blond-haired man. He was in the middle of taking his sweat-soaked shirt off, revealing a white wife beater underneath. Sasuke noted the visible tattoos.

He made a noise in his throat to announce his presence.

The man stilled, his shirt almost the entire way off as he slowly looked over his shoulder.

"Hey." He greeted Sasuke, grinning widely.

Sasuke greeted him with an indifferent grimace. He finished taking his shirt off and stepped forward, offering his hand, which was smeared with dirt.

Sasuke glared at the hand suspiciously and then up at his new roommate, who continued to smile. Sasuke, despite his better judgment, took the hand and shook it as briefly as possible, then as inconspicuously as he could manage, wiped it on the side of his slacks.

"Looks like you've moved in," Sasuke said, glancing around the room at opened and unopened boxes of varying sizes. "You didn't have any help?"

"Nah," the man said, scratching the back of his head. He didn't seem in a hurry to grab for another shirt, but maybe he didn't know where any were amidst the mess. "Everyone was sorta busy this afternoon, and I don't have that much stuff, so I thought I could do it on my own."

"Had I known," Sasuke said, drawing his gaze back to Naruto, frowning. "I would've left work earlier to help."

Naruto tilted his head, scratching at his chest, just below his left shoulder. "Well…thanks for the offer, but it's no problem. I haven't been able to work out a lot this week, so I needed it. No worries."

Sasuke nodded absently a few times, giving the room another glance. Naruto didn't seem as bad as he expected. He was friendly enough, maybe not the brightest crayon in the box, but personality could go a long way with Sasuke, too. That's when he noticed a guitar on the bed.

"You play guitar?" he asked.

"Ah, yeah." Naruto went toward it, stroking it tenderly. "That's my baby."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sorry you had to take a day off to do this. Was it a problem with work?"

Naruto looked up at him. "No…it was…no problem. I mean, I have to work tonight, but no, I mean, work is flexible, so it's good."

"Shikamaru said you were into bonds?"

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, and he laughed. "I'm into…what?"

"Bonds," Sasuke repeated.

Naruto squinted at him. Sasuke grew annoyed at having to repeat himself a third time.

"Bonds," he growled. "Stocks and bonds, right? What company do you work for?"

Naruto started laughing at him again; Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's so funny?"

"Shikamaru said I was into _bonds_ did he?" Naruto asked. He reached down and, again, stroked his guitar fondly. He sat on the edge of the bed, squeezing between smaller boxes. "Hm, alright."

"You're not into bonds then?" Sasuke asked and wondered at how idiotic he sounded now.

"Oh…" Naruto smiled at him. "I'm into bonds, sure. And for a second I thought you were sort of asking quite a personal question there…Sasuke."

Sasuke took a step toward Naruto, glaring down at him expectantly. "So then what do you do?"

Not intimidated in the slightest, Naruto played a short chord then answered. "I'm in a band."

Sasuke almost laughed out loud, but it only resounded inside his head. On the outside, he was stone-cold serious. "You're in a what now?"

"A band."

"A what?"

Naruto got to his feet. Sasuke caught a whiff of dirt and sweat. Naruto nodded at the guitar again.

"I play guitar and sing in a band. I have other jobs, but yeah, that's my main thing. Amps are in that box over there, but I've got a studio, don't think I'll be practicing here or anything."

Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitching. "Get out."

Naruto mistook the statement for something playful. He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

"No it's true."

"No, seriously. Get out," Sasuke said and he brought a hand through the hair at the side of his head, ready to pull it out in panic. "There's no way I'm rooming with someone who still has delusions that they can earn a living by being in a band."

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? If you're worried about rent, don't."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I'm as much worried about my sanity and personal hygiene than I am rent. If you're some kind of drug pusher on the side then I don't want to have-"

"Drug pusher?" Naruto's eyes twinkled, making them even more startlingly blue than before. "I think the only one doing any pushing around here is you."

Sasuke stopped scowling long enough to blink at him several times. "What?"

Naruto cocked his head boyishly, his lip curling, and he flexed his right arm in front of his body a couple times. "It…was a joke. You know, because you're pushing me out…?"

"Right." Had the wall been closer, Sasuke would've hit his head against it. "This must be the famous wit Shikamaru was referring to."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Huh?"

Sasuke shifted on his feet, asking in a mocking tone: "So, you play in a band, and you're how old?"

Naruto grinned. "What difference does that make? Mick Jagger's like 87, and he still tours with the Rolling Stones."

"Mick Jagger is not 87."

Naruto shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatever. He looks it. And how do you know?"

Sasuke glared. "Common knowledge, idiot."

Naruto looked at him evenly, though his brow furrowed the smallest bit at the insult. He shook his head. "Wait. Let's try this again, okay?"

Naruto held his hand out, but Sasuke didn't take it, so Naruto withdrew it after a while.

Enthusiastically, Naruto re-introduced himself, "Fine. Hi! Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I am not into bonds, at least in the financial sense. I believe you were misinformed. I'm actually in a band. I don't do drugs…er, okay, I smoke once in a while, but I won't do that here if you're gonna narc on me."

"Narc?" Sasuke murmured in a condescending tone. "Hn."

Naruto ignored him, still remaining cheerful and upbeat, which only made Sasuke feel itchy somehow. "I have several jobs. I probably won't be in your way, and I make enough money that I can pay you up front for the three months I'll be staying here!"

"Hmm."

"Are we cool now?" Naruto was looking at him expectantly.

"Whatever." He was too tired to argue any further, and so long as Naruto was good for the cash and he procured it by legal means, then what did it matter? He turned around, ready to head for his bedroom.

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and glared. Naruto smirked at him and gave a thumbs up. Sasuke scowled and left the bedroom, nearly tripping over a box as he walked out into the hallway.

"I'll move that in a minute!" Naruto yelled from his room, and the distinct sound of laughter followed shortly.

Sasuke grumbled, sloping toward his room, which upon entering, he promptly slammed the door shut.

* * *

Sasuke snapped his laptop closed, having grown frustrated with the amount of e-mails he'd had to respond to within the last two hours. Most had been from Kiba, a few others from clients. Since he'd been home, he hadn't even removed his shoes. After pushing the computer into the center of the bed just to get himself away from it, he vigorously rubbed the bridge of his nose. Joints cracking, Sasuke got up, noting it was 8 o'clock. He hadn't had any dinner, and for the past hour there had hardly been any noise or shuffling around coming from the hallway. He concluded Naruto was now in the process of unpacking and organizing.

As he opened the door to head toward the kitchen, it was just in time to see Naruto coming out of his own room, wearing a pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees, a snug black t-shirt and guitar strapped to his back.

"Yo," Naruto greeted him while disentangling the wires of his MP3 player.

Sasuke stopped short of bumping into him, wearing a frown, but despite his mood, he offered a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Hey, I'll have everything out of your way tomorrow," Naruto said, apparently reading the discontent etched across Sasuke's features. He slipped his arm into the other strap holding up the guitar case. Then he hitched a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the living room and kitchen. "I've gotta run to practice. I'll try to keep quiet when I come in, it'll be late."

"Okay," Sasuke said, tone facetious. He hoped Naruto wouldn't feel the need to report in every time he left the apartment. Sasuke was his roommate now at best, not his parole officer.

Naruto scrutinized him in earnest, dirty blond eyebrows rising in concern. "You look tired."

Sasuke stared at him dubiously, considered not responding at all, but then gave a heavy sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. "Long day at work."

"Ah."

Shifting , Sasuke thrust a hand inside the pocket of his slacks. Again, he gazed at the guitar, feeling a strange mix of loathing and curiosity. "So, what kind of band is it?"

Naruto smiled brightly at the question and leaned against the doorframe, very casually, as if he'd always belonged there. "Why? Wanna come find out?"

Sasuke scoffed. "No thanks."

Naruto didn't seem too put out by the rejection. He simply straightened up and shrugged. "Maybe another time." He started to go but stopped, locking eyes with Sasuke. "By the way, I, uh, stopped by the drug store on the corner and got some groceries. I saw there wasn't much in your fridge, but I got enough for sandwiches. Feel free to help yourself."

Sasuke's mouth parted in surprise. Naruto noticed this, but all he did was smirk.

Very smoothly, he turned, offering a backward wave as he stuck his earbuds in, practically bouncing his way out the apartment door. Sasuke even thought he heard the sound of placid humming once Naruto was out in the hallway.

For a couple of minutes, Sasuke remained in that spot in front of Naruto's bedroom, trying to figure out what about the encounter had left him so confused. But there was some relief in being alone now, so he shrugged it off and ventured into the kitchen. There was a bowl full of fruit on the counter: oranges, apples, bananas. Inside the fridge, he found it to be stocked with orange juice, bagels, lunch meat, cheese, milk, and eggs. The only edible contents Sasuke could call his own would be the stack of three plain yogurts that had been placed on one of the side shelves.

Stomach rumbling, he stared at the food and considered how good a sandwich sounded. Which, of course, was the reason behind him stubbornly grabbing for one of his remaining yogurt containers. He slammed the fridge shut and peeled off the colored foil covering.

Sasuke ate his yogurt, standing in the center of the living room, television on mute. When he realized he was about to fall asleep standing up, he forced himself to shower, answered a few more e-mails from Kiba, and at 9.30 on the dot, he went to bed.

* * *

At 5.30 in the morning, Sasuke awoke right before the alarm on his cell phone went off. He'd had restless and strange dreams, but nothing noteworthy. A hazy morning light crept through the cracks in the blinds. He pushed the sheet away and threw his legs over the side of the bed, scratching at his right cheek. Either Naruto had kept to his word or hadn't come home last night; being a fairly light sleeper, Sasuke hadn't heard him enter the apartment.

He got to his feet, rummaging through his drawers. He felt like having a run so he pulled on some running shorts and a solid blue shirt. He had to dig through his sock drawer to find the armband so he could attach his iPod. After that, he went into the bathroom attached to his room, splashed his face with water and put on some deodorant.

As quietly as he could be bothered to do, he cracked open the bedroom door, but as he passed Naruto's room, he heard the distinct sound of giggling. It was a good guess that the higher-pitched giggles did not belong to Naruto.

Sasuke ignored it and went through the living room and into the kitchen to fill up a bottle of water. While he was finding interest in the way the water streamed in through the narrow opening, the bedroom door opened with a squeak. He heard the sound of footsteps padding across the wood flooring in the living room. Naruto appeared around the corner of the kitchen, a white sheet draped around his waist, tucked in at the hip.

Their eyes met in an odd moment that at any other time might have proved embarrassing, but Naruto didn't seem to have a problem with it, so neither did Sasuke. But it was the first opportunity Sasuke had to check out the tattoo on Naruto's left shoulder. No color. Only black. There was a circular shape on the shoulder and a repeating pattern of long, vertical marks that started under his armpit and went mid-way down his side. They looked tribal. It was also quite clear he must work out often. Sasuke was in shape, but he had a slimmer, runner's build, whereas Naruto was a bit wider in the chest. The muscles of his arms, stomach, and legs were well defined.

Sasuke set aside the observations and physical comparisons to his own body in order to turn off the faucet and cap his bottle.

"Mornin'!" Naruto greeted him cheerily, leaning against the fridge. He had a hand on his hip, holding onto where the fabric of the sheet was gathered.

Sasuke cocked his head, amused at how chipper Naruto was in the morning hours. He tried to refrain from noticing the glow surrounding his new roommate, but sex could do that to anyone.

"…Good morning," he eventually responded.

Naruto grinned wider at him, if that were possible. He edged closer and stuck his hand in the bowl of fruit. He ripped off one of the bananas from the bunch he'd bought last night. Sasuke didn't really know how to respond when Naruto kept looking at him like that, with this dopey grin. If he expected Sasuke to ask about his conquest or complain that he'd brought someone home already, it wasn't going to happen.

Sasuke cleared his throat when neither of them spoke.

Naruto held up the fruit near his face, glanced sideways at it and then at Sasuke. "Banana," he said, nodding at it. "Awesome."

Sasuke blinked at him.

"You going for a run?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded slowly, and, for whatever reason, he smirked.

Naruto smirked right back. "Have fun. Think it's supposed to rain this mornin', so don't go out for too long!"

"Right," Sasuke replied awkwardly. "…Thanks."

"No problem." Naruto leaned his head against the side of the fridge. "S'pose I should get back in there." He hoiked the banana over his shoulder as if there was some hidden meaning in the gesture.

Sasuke pressed his lips together and nodded, looking at Naruto as if he were some kind of freak. Which he was, and he didn't want to know what he was going to be doing with that banana since he hadn't started eating it.

"Alright then. I'm going to go run." Sasuke hoped the man would get the hint.

Naruto leaned away from the refrigerator and gripped his sheet. "By the way, I don't usually, y'know, uh…hm, well, I just wanna say, in a normal state of mind, I wouldn't have brought someone home after the first night of living here, but her apartment was being fumigated, and, yeah…fun girl…so, it just happened."

"It's fine."

Naruto nodded. "Okay, cool. But, really, it won't happen often. I don't wanna give you the wrong impression. And yeah. Don't forget it may rain."

With that, Naruto left. The bedroom door opened and closed, and there was a bark of laughter, then the sound of Naruto's voice trying to shush the woman who apparently couldn't stop laughing.

Sasuke shook his head. He reached for his bottle of water, went to the front door and grabbed his sneakers out of the basket of shoes near the entrance. Had anyone else pulled something like this, Sasuke was fairly sure he would have been pissed. But, maybe because he'd gotten a full night's rest or maybe because Naruto had come across as a decent guy so far despite Sasuke having hoped for the opposite, it all… amused him.

Even so, he was still going to give Shikamaru a call on the way to work in order to harass him.

Sasuke slipped out of the apartment, locking it behind, and on the way down the stairs he tried to keep himself from thinking on all the various things one could do with bananas.

* * *

TBC


	2. Have the lambs stopped screaming?

"And you say, 'All things pass, into the night.'  
And I say: Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong, I must disagree.  
Oh no, sir, I must say you're wrong. Won't you listen to me?"  
-_Goodbye Horses_, Q Lazzarus

**

* * *

**

Naruto had been right. A block away from home, following his usual jogging circuit, it began to sprinkle. Just as he made it to the stoop of the complex, it started to pour down on his head. Sasuke was still breathing a bit heavily as he marched up the stairwell. He couldn't have been out for more than an hour. Even from outside the apartment, he could smell something delicious: bacon, eggs and coffee. Without his consent, his mouth began to salivate as he unlocked the door, and he heard the sound of two voices coming from the kitchen.

"Oh is that him?" came a woman's voice.

Wasn't that nice. Naruto, instead of giving her the boot before he returned, had decided to make her breakfast.

Naruto peeked around the corner. "Sasuke!" He frowned as he took in Sasuke's state. "You're wet."

Sasuke half-glared as he detached the armband and pulled his shoes off by the heels, dropping everything in the basket.

Naruto, dressed now in a pair of loose brown sweatpants, swept his gaze up and down Sasuke's body. He settled for a grin as Sasuke combed fingers through his hair.

"We're making breakfast, would you like some?"

"Tell him to come in here, I want to meet him!" The woman shouted with a level of urgency.

Naruto looked over his shoulder. "Did you ever think maybe he doesn't wanna meet you?" There was fondness and good humor in his tone. The woman made a scoffing noise.

"Are you ashamed, Naruto?" She asked flirtatiously, and Sasuke thought, however tempting breakfast might have sounded 30 seconds ago, he was on the verge of losing his appetite.

"Of course not, babe, but you could have at least put some clothes on first."

Sasuke huffed in his spot in front of the doorway. He couldn't take it anymore, so he went to the kitchen on his own, moving past Naruto and rounding the corner. There he was greeted by a blonde woman. Slim and very pretty, her hair up in a messy ponytail. Her bangs fell over one of her eyes, which were an iridescent shade of light blue. She had a blue sheet wrapped around her like a strapless toga, her cheeks dusted with a telling blush.

"Oh shit you're hot," she cooed as she checked him out. "Jesus Naruto."

Naruto chuckled, and Sasuke could see why the two of them hit it off so well.

"Hi, I'm Ino," she said with a friendly smile and held out her hand.

Sasuke went to her and shook it firmly. "Sasuke."

"Isn't this sweet?" Naruto remarked as he leaned against the counter near the stove. He'd turned around, showing Sasuke his back, metal spatula in hand as he flipped over the eggs that sat beside several strips of sizzling bacon. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Oh yeah, here let me get you some," Ino replied quickly, sounding almost scandalized at not offering Sasuke coffee, as if he were the guest here and not her. Ino bustled around self-assuredly, appearing to know exactly where the mugs were. As she got to work in getting him coffee, Naruto maneuvered around her to grab three plates out of one of the cabinets above the sink.

Sasuke started to wonder if they were a couple. There was an easy intimacy between the two that made Sasuke feel as if he were intruding on a moment, but Ino hadn't introduced herself as a girlfriend, and for all he knew, maybe she was just a really friendly and outgoing one-night stand.

"Do I have time for a quick shower?" Sasuke asked, voice rough as he'd been deep in thought and distracted. He wasn't used to whatever this was happening in front of him. At least not in his apartment.

Both blonds looked up at him at the same time.

"Oh sure, of course," Ino said, and Naruto nodded, as well.

Sasuke stared at them as they grinned at one another again and went back to what they were doing, which was apparently organizing Sasuke's breakfast. He wasn't entirely sure how to refuse their kindness, so, rather, he decided to indulge them.

After a speedy shower, he combed out his still wet hair and slipped into some slacks and an old but comfortable t-shirt. He didn't feel like getting dressed for work yet. When he made his way to the kitchen, Ino was sitting on one of the stools tucked under their very tiny table. Naruto was leaning against the counter, rigorously dipping a point of toast into the yoke of one of his eggs. They both glanced up when Sasuke came around the corner.

"Yours," Ino said, pointing at the plate on the counter.

"Thanks." Sasuke went directly to it, noticing the sliced bananas piled to the side. Before he could stop himself, he asked: "You two really enjoy bananas don't you?"

Naruto met his eyes and laughed with pleasure. Ino, however, turned a shade of red and glared at Naruto.

"Don't laugh!" Ino reached over and swatted him on the arm.

"What?" Naruto's eyes were bright. He looked genuinely happy.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth curled as he picked up a piece of bacon.

"I'm so sorry you have to live with this guy," Ino said as she nibbled delicately at her toast.

Naruto chuckled good-naturedly. He turned his body more toward Sasuke. "Yeah, you should've seen his face when I told him I was in a band. I mighta been better off telling him I lived off busking in the subway."

"Hey, that's not a bad way to make some quick cash," Ino cut in.

Sasuke, having been content to listen to the two of them banter, tucked a hand inside a pocket. "It had more to do with the fact I'd been misinformed. So," he said, dabbing his mouth with the napkin Ino'd set out for him, "How did you two meet?"

"Interesting question," was all Naruto said. His tone sounded off and he dipped his head and glanced away.

"Well," Ino spoke, and Sasuke filed away Naruto's reaction for future reference, "We met through friends." Her smile faltered a little, and Sasuke was beginning to think he might've been better off not trying to pretend he could be sociable when he chose to do so.

"You two seem very close," Sasuke observed, making an attempt to change the subject. To his relief, the comment made Naruto grin. Ino smiled, as well. She looked at Naruto with a great amount of affection.

"Ino's one of my best friends," Naruto answered for them. "She has a band, did you know? They're really great. I tried to get her to join mine, but she didn't want to be overshadowed by my skills."

"Shut up, idiot," Ino scolded him and lobbed a balled up napkin at him. Naruto caught it in one hand and held it to his chest.

"Does your band have a name? Would I have heard of them?" Sasuke asked politely while cutting up the remainder of his egg with a fork.

Ino hummed. "Maybe. I don't know how familiar you are with the local scene, but we're called Goodbye Horses. There are three of us. We do pretty well. Not as well as Naruto's band…" She gave Naruto a sly look. Sasuke tried to read Naruto at that compliment, but he had his gaze lowered, a small smile on his face.

"That's an interesting name," Sasuke remarked dryly, but he was at least interested.

"Isn't it?" said Naruto.

"It was Naruto's idea," Ino explained. "We'd been trying to come up with something for a week. We were all having a movie night: the band, Naruto, and a few of our other friends. _Silence of the Lambs_. And the song we named ourselves after came on. Everyone just looked at each other because we couldn't remember the name of it. I think Naruto must've listened to it on repeat for three hours when we woke up that morning… and he was just like: 'Wow, that'd be a kickass band name.'"

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle as Ino did a wonderful impression of Naruto's voice. That is, if he sounded like Ted from _Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure_.

"Yes, well, Ino mutilated that story a bit, but yeah, that's the general gist of what happened," said Naruto. He took his plate and began rinsing it under the sink. Sasuke happened to look over, examining his tattoo again.

"Do you have any?"

It took a second for Sasuke to understand the question Ino was asking. "Excuse me?"

"Tattoos. Do you have any?" She asked, adjusting the line of the sheet where it draped across her chest.

"No."

Either the answer or the question caused Naruto to laugh. Sasuke glared at his tattoo and took a sip of what was left of his coffee.

"What time do you have to go to work?" Naruto suddenly asked as he turned around. "Are you done?" He nodded at Sasuke's plate, and when Sasuke nodded in the affirmative, Naruto took it away from him and began rinsing it.

Sasuke wasn't ignorant of Ino's smile at watching this domestic exchange, but he tried not to show anything on his face.

Remembering he'd been asked a question, "Nine," he said. "I have to be there by nine. Not that it matters as I'm usually one of the first to show up at the office."

"Shikamaru told me you work with Kiba." Naruto finished with the dishes and started putting them away into the dishwasher. He took Ino's as well, though she snagged her other piece of toast before he could pitch it in the garbage.

"You know Kiba?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah. We hang out every once in a while. He used to come out more, but since he started working there, we don't cross paths as much. Tell him I said hello."

Sasuke had to bite his lip in order to keep from saying anything rude about his co-worker. "I will."

That seemed as good a time as any for Sasuke to excuse himself and leave the two of them alone. He needed to shave before he finished getting dressed anyway, so he thanked them for breakfast as he grabbed his mug of coffee, noise from the kitchen becoming livelier and louder with his exit.

Sasuke took his time getting ready. Normally he would've opened up his laptop to get a head start on the day's emails, but he just didn't feel like it as the rain lazily patted against the window, and the sound of laughter echoed down the hallway.

* * *

It was near lunchtime at work, and despite the stress of being in an office where everyone appeared as incompetent as they looked, Sasuke had retained some semblance of a decent mood. Kakashi hadn't popped in yet to bother him, and he'd actually spent a large chunk of the morning getting work done.

Although, just as he was thinking that, there was a knock on the door. Sasuke bid them enter, and Kiba walked in, sitting down in the chair in front of Sasuke's desk without even being invited.

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he glanced up from his computer.

"Thanks for the changes you suggested on the Schloan project. I spent all night trying to figure out why it wasn't coming up right in the program, but once I made the changes you told me to, it was up and running. The client was really pleased."

Kiba paused and reached across the desk to pick up a pen from Sasuke's desk. He stared at it, squinting hard, and set it back down.

Sasuke raised his eyes to Heaven, pleading. Until he remembered what Naruto had said earlier.

"Naruto says to say hello," Sasuke said in a flat voice.

"Naruto?" Kiba repeated, frowning.

"He said he knew of you and wanted me to tell you hello."

"Oh." Kiba gave him a strange look that made Sasuke feel foolish for even bothering to be the messenger between two idiots. "Cool. Tell him I said hello, as well. But wait, how do y'know, Naruto?"

"My new roommate," Sasuke replied, and having decided he'd accomplished what he said he'd do, returned to his work.

Kiba barked out a laugh that startled Sasuke enough he raised his eyes and an eyebrow in question.

"I cannot see the two of you together for the life of me," Kiba remarked, making himself more comfortable in the chair as if he would be content to camp out there the rest of the day.

"We aren't _together_," Sasuke corrected irritably. "He's a temporary roommate while my other roommate is gone for the summer."

"Why, where did he go? Did you scare him away?" Kiba asked and laughed at his own joke, crossing a leg over the other.

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Don't you have work to do."

"I do, I do, but Kakashi wanted me to come in on check on you since he hasn't had the time to this morning. He said you get lonely if no one comes to visit."

"Did he?" The sarcasm oozed from him like ectoplasm over the Statue of Liberty. Bill Murray would have been proud.

Kiba shrugged, too dense to pick up on Sasuke's tone as he was presently engaged in staring at the bookshelf. Sasuke'd be surprised if the other man had ever seen a book in his life. It must have been quite a perplexing experience.

"Alright, well some of the guys and I are gonna make a run to Pita Pit. Want anything?"

"Just for you to get out of my office," Sasuke grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba stood up and stretched, needlessly adjusting his striped tie. "Seriously, I can't see you and Naruto living together at all. I need to catch up with that guy. I've hardly seen him since I started working here."

"Lucky him," Sasuke muttered low enough that Kiba didn't hear.

"I'll see ya later." Kiba left the office, shutting the door with more force than necessary.

Sasuke stopped his work long enough to glare at the screen, mood having been completely soured at being interrupted.

It was a good thing he'd eaten more for breakfast this morning than yogurt as he ended up working right through lunch and didn't leave the office until nearly 6 o'clock.

* * *

The subway uptown had been cramped and hot. Some work being done on the tracks had delayed several of the trains, and Sasuke was on the brink of just walking. But the rain from earlier had continued throughout the day, creating puddles near the curbs that he carefully avoided so as not to soil his slacks.

As soon as he entered the apartment, he took his jacket off and slung it over his shoulder. The door was open. He found Naruto sitting in one of the leather wingbacks across from the couch, notepad in his lap as he had the guitar on his knee, sliding his fingers over the strings as he hummed.

Naruto looked up from watching his hand on the fretboard to greet Sasuke with a warm, welcoming smile.

"Hey."

Scowling still, Sasuke reluctantly returned with a, "Hi."

"Bad day?" Naruto asked, setting the guitar gently onto the floor.

Sasuke grunted in answer. He slinked over to the couch after removing his shoes, dropping his briefcase as he collapsed on the cushions.

"You didn't work today?" Sasuke inquired. He had his eyes closed as he leaned his head on the sofa back.

"I did. Just a quick job this afternoon delivering stuff for my friend's moving company."

Sasuke nodded tiredly.

"Do you want me to make you somethin'?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke opened his eyes and glared, the day grabbing hold of him, and he was perfectly ready to drag Naruto down with him. "Naruto, you don't have to go out of your way to make me like you. I'm fine with you being my roommate, and I'm an adult, so I can take care of myself."

Naruto's eyes widened at first, but he immediately regained himself and nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry."

He picked up his guitar and settled it on his knee again, strumming nimbly.

Sasuke felt a twinge of guilt, but apologizing was a bit beneath him, so he opted to watch Naruto's fingers.

"How long have you been playing?" he asked.

"Since I was 10. My Great Uncle taught me how. Hurt like a bitch at first, and it took me forever to learn to read music right it seemed. My fingers were always bleeding, I played so damn much, wanting to impress him." He trailed off, not seeing Sasuke, but remembering something else.

Sasuke watched a while longer. Occasionally Naruto set the guitar down long enough to write on his notepad. He didn't say much and neither did Sasuke. He got up and went to the bookshelf next to the large flat screen. He picked out a book and re-seated himself on the couch. Feeling comfortable enough to do so, he ended up stretching out on his back. Naruto was watching him, Sasuke could feel the prickling sensation, but he ignored it and started reading.

He had no idea when he'd fallen asleep, but he was being shaken gently at the shoulder. Someone calling his name. Sasuke's lids fluttered, a name from another time on his lips, but as he opened his eyes, it died before the sound could be formed in his throat.

"Hey, I'm going out," Naruto informed him in a quiet voice. He looked worried, but Sasuke didn't know why. "I know you don't want me to smother you, but you might be more comfortable in your own bed, and you didn't have anything to eat so I left a sandwich in the fridge if you want it."

Sasuke blinked away the sleep. The book he'd been reading lay flat on his chest. His body felt strangely heavy, and a dream he'd been having lingered on the fuzzy fringes of his consciousness.

Naruto stood, but retained a crease of the brow that disturbed him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sasuke asked in a scratchy voice, rubbing at his temple.

"It's nothing," Naruto replied, but Sasuke could tell he was lying. His doubt must have been obvious. "You were talking in your sleep. A lot."

Sasuke froze as he sat up, bangs falling over his eyes as he lowered his head. His gaze darted toward the floor, falling on the sandals Naruto was wearing. "What did I say?"

"I'm not sure," Naruto answered in a whisper. "You were mumbling, but you didn't seem too happy."

Sasuke glanced up, feeling oddly vulnerable. It was his fault for having stayed in the living room while Naruto was out here. He was dropping his defenses a bit too quickly for someone who was nothing more than a stranger. One that wouldn't even be around more than a few months.

"Don't think so much," Naruto spoke. "I know what it's like. To have bad dreams."

Sasuke shook his head and sneered. "You don't know _anything_. Mind your own business."

He got up from the couch and without another glance at Naruto, went inside his bedroom. He was relieved only when he heard the door of the apartment shut and he could be left alone with his thoughts as he sat on the corner of the bed, mouth covered by his hand as he pensively rubbed a finger repeatedly over the crease of his lips.

* * *

TBC


	3. To live humbly

"He would stare at empty chairs  
Think of the ghosts who once sat there  
The ghosts that broke his heart.  
Oh the ghosts that broke my heart!_"  
-Ghosts, _Laura Marling

_

* * *

_

Sasuke was already up and ready for work by half past 7. He had a mug of coffee in his hand as he scrolled through few news articles on the _New York Times_ site. Everything was depressing, and to top it all off, Gary Coleman had died today of a brain aneurysm. Okay, so there was already at least _one_ person having a worse day than him.

It was a Saturday, and while most people were sleeping in, Sasuke had decided years ago that he didn't need two days off a week in order to keep his sanity. Rather, he was better off working as much as possible because that's what kept him sane. Not many people went in on a Saturday, so he was left mostly alone. That's why Saturday had become his favorite day of the week.

As he sipped his Brazilian blend, he went through his e-mails, checked his bank account, and set up a couple online payments on Excel. It felt good to be organized. He'd awoken with something quite similar to a hangover, but he attributed that to a restless sleep. After he'd gone to his own bed as Naruto suggested, he lay there for a long time simply staring at the ceiling and getting angry every time he thought of Naruto's worried expression. Like he pitied Sasuke. It was… annoying. Why did he need to be pitied by some guy in his mid-twenties who had such delusions of grandeur? Who didn't want to adapt to the adult world and get a real job?

Like Sasuke.

Then again, he had to admit a 9 to 5 probably wouldn't suit Naruto. After all, it was unlikely his roommate even had the wardrobe for it.

Sasuke smirked at the screen, clicking out of all the tabs until he was staring at the blank backdrop on the desktop.

It was a moment of perfect peace. Too bad it only lasted 7.8 seconds.

Naruto came out of his bedroom. He acknowledged Sasuke with a wave of his hand, but nothing more. It surprised Sasuke as he didn't think Naruto the type to hold a grudge just because he had gotten (rightfully) short with him last night for being so damn nosy.

Noise came from the kitchen. Cabinets opening and closing, pots shifting. The refrigerator door opened and closed at least three times. Sasuke simply sat there, his finger tapping on the arm of the couch. He frowned with no proclivity to start any kind of conversation whatsoever.

Just short of five minutes later, Naruto rounded the corner, coffee in hand. He walked right in front of Sasuke and then dropped into one of the wingbacks. If Sasuke hadn't had better control, he would have laughed at his roommate's disheveled appearance. He had a serious case of bedhead, and one of his cheeks had a red mark across it as if he'd fallen asleep on the edge of a ruler. The pajama pants he wore were lower on one hip than the other. Naruto made a grumbling noise as he snuggled into the corner of the chair and threw his right leg over the chair arm.

He glared at Sasuke; Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a morning person," Naruto all but growled as he blinked several times and swiped at the inside corner of his eye. Whatever had gotten stuck to his fingernail, Naruto studied with rapt interest before flicking it toward the floor.

"Really?" Sasuke replied, sitting up straight and setting his mug on the coffee table. "You seemed rather energetic yesterday morning as I recall." He wasn't sure if he felt relief or not at Naruto acting as if last night didn't happen.

Naruto made another perturbed noise in his throat. He took a drink of the coffee and scrunched his face like he was sucking on something sour. "I don't really like coffee."

"Then why are you drinking it?" Sasuke mocked him, finding Naruto in this state of semi-unconsciousness to be what he would, reluctantly, refer to as endearing for lack of better words.

Naruto huffed and scowled. "Because I hate being in a bad mood. And _anyone_ would be that cheerful after they just got laid."

Sasuke felt no inclination to answer, so he nodded.

Naruto seemed more alert as he asked: "Did you sleep okay?"

Sasuke could tell his roommate was trying in vain to be frustratingly casual. So much for hoping Naruto knew how to be discreet.

"I slept fine, thank you," Sasuke said curtly.

"Good," Naruto said as if he hadn't noticed the bite in Sasuke's tone. The toes of the leg hanging over the chair wiggled. Sasuke stared at them.

"Gary Coleman died," Sasuke announced, still staring at the wiggling appendages.

"Oh shit, that sucks." Naruto frowned, eyes round and thoughtful. "What happened?"

"Brain aneurysm," Sasuke answered, not sure why he brought it up at all.

"It seems everyone these days is always dying of some brain aneurysm or heart attack. It makes me not wanna get old."

Sasuke looked up at his roommate. The shadows from the blinds created slicing patterns on one half of Naruto's face. "Like Jim Morrison. Maybe you can die young?"

Naruto almost immediately snapped his eyes over to Sasuke, looking at him with frightening intensity. "I have no intention of dying. Though I'm not afraid of that. I just said I didn't like the idea of getting old. I have no sympathy for people willing to give up so easily."

Sasuke tried to blink away the confusion, mouth drawing into a pensive line as he breathed in through his nose.

Naruto's features softened though and he dismissively shook his head. "Sorry. It's still too early. I think the loss of Gary was too much for me this morning, and I didn't get much sleep."

Sasuke loosened up a bit, allowing a smirk. "Were you out very late?"

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, until a few hours ago. We had a short set at this place downtown, and then a whole bunch of us went out after that until the bar kicked us out."

"Do you find that sort of lifestyle fun?" Sasuke asked. Not so much judgmental as earnestly curious.

Naruto glanced out the window. "Mostly, yeah, I do."

"Good."

"You have to come out sometime," Naruto told him and grinned broadly.

Sasuke felt like humoring him. "Maybe."

"We're goin' out tonight. After we go to the studio anyway. We're beginning to lay down some tracks for this CD we wanna start handing out at gigs. My friend is this really awesome producer. He's been helping us out a lot. We have a few new songs in the works."

"Is that what you were doing last night?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah."

With a yawn and a stretch, Naruto stood. Sasuke watched him walk into the kitchen and heard the sound of the water running. Naruto came swaggering back.

"I don't think you have my cell. I'll leave it if you wanna come out with us. I can't believe you work on Saturdays."

"I like it," Sasuke replied.

"Okay." Naruto shrugged. "I'm gonna shower and then sleep until about 3."

"Sounds good." Sasuke could barely keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

Naruto started toward his bedroom, when Sasuke's mouth moved on its own.

"Naruto," he said.

Naruto paused and put his hand up on the edge of the corner wall before the hallway. "Hm?"

Sasuke wasn't sure what it was he wanted to say. He lowered his gaze to his lap and then looked up at Naruto. He knew what he was about to say, but his brain was screaming for him not to, so what came out was: "I think I'm busy tonight."

Naruto gave him a strange look. "Oh.. Okay. I figured as much."

He disappeared around the corner.

Sasuke couldn't figure out what the hell that had been about. Whatever. He didn't want to go out anyway. He looked toward the window, watching the flecks of dust as they streamed through the morning light.

Unable to fight the feeling of awkwardness settling over him, Sasuke decided it might be best if he went into work early, but he was most definitely not avoiding Naruto in doing so.

He just really liked his job.

And being alone.

In the office.

Where there was no roommate always looking at him like he was about to crack up. Although, if Sasuke were to have a sudden breakdown, it was likely Naruto would be the first to come under fire.

* * *

It was early afternoon. Sasuke's desk was littered with take-out cartons. He had the cell phone pressed against his shoulder as he broke apart his chopsticks and started digging into an order of General Tso's chicken.

"So how's it going so far?" Shikamaru asked.

"How do you think it's going?" Sasuke muttered as he bit into the chicken. It was delicious and filled with enough MSG to shock and kill a small fainting goat.

"Well," Shikamaru drawled. "You haven't kicked him out yet, so I imagine it's not that bad."

Sasuke spun the chair around to stare at the metal filing cabinet in the corner of the room. There was a bloomless potted plant on top of it. Odd that he watered it accordingly, but for the few months he'd had it, there had yet to be a single flower.

"So seriously," Shikamaru said when Sasuke hadn't offered any details. "How is it working out?"

"He's odd," Sasuke replied. "And he has this habit of smothering me. Like he's afraid I'm going to jump out the window."

Shikamaru didn't answer right away. He laughed softly. "That's just Naruto. He worries about everybody. He's probably never been around anyone as independent and head-strong as you."

"I met his girlfriend." Sasuke smirked.

"Naruto has a girlfriend?" Shikamaru asked, sounding surprised.

"Ino? She was over the other night. And morning." Sasuke knew he was sounding a lot more bitter about Naruto having someone over than he'd actually felt at the time. But Shikamaru didn't need to know about that. That he'd even _liked_ Ino. She had a personality that complemented Naruto well. Together they could re-build villages ravaged by hurricanes and tsunamis; adopt a dozen orphans from various Asian and African countries; create a race of blond-haired, blue-eyed children to be taught the ways of the world by a musical governess.

"Ino?" Shikamaru repeated. "I don't think they're dating, Sasuke."

"Well, whatever. It's not as if I care about his love life."

"It'd be hard to keep up with anyway," Shikamaru said through a heavy sigh.

Sasuke finished off another piece of chicken and plucked up a sticky ball of rice from another container, dipping it in the orange-colored sauce.

"Listen, the time on my calling card is running out, so I gotta get going," said Shikamaru. That worked out perfectly for Sasuke who had nothing more to say.

"Alright."

"Goodbye, Sasuke."

Sasuke hung up the phone without saying goodbye. The line went dead anyway.

Maybe he'd put in another couple hours and take off early. By then, Naruto'd probably be up and out of the apartment and Sasuke could relax, maybe get a movie from Netflix and make a proper dinner that included something beyond a simple sandwich.

* * *

It was sometime around 11 o'clock, and Sasuke was embarrassed to admit he'd fallen asleep with the television on, his mouth open wide, and head turned into the sofa cushion. When the front door opened and smacked against the wall with a bang, he started, catching himself before he rolled off the edge of the sofa.

In the doorway stood two men. One was his roommate. The other had his arm draped over Naruto's shoulder. Naruto seemed to be supporting him. The other person had dark red hair. His head was lowered and so his bangs obscured the top of his face. Plus the only light on in the room was coming from the TV.

The red-haired man groaned and tried to wrestle away from Naruto. Naruto glanced up at Sasuke.

"Oh hey, you're awake."

Sasuke pushed himself into a sitting position, watching as Naruto managed to carry the other man into the living room and set him down into the chair, where he proceeded to openly glare at Sasuke.

"I don't like you," the man said.

Sasuke glared at Naruto as if he were the one who had spoken, but Naruto was looking down at the other man and… smiling.

"Naruto," Sasuke said gruffly and cleared his throat. "Who is this? I would've thought you'd know better than to drag any bum off the street and into our apartment."

The man in the chair gave a dark laugh.

"Sasuke, this is Gaara. Gaara," he said, pressing a hand to Gaara's shoulder. "This is Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at Gaara. Gaara glared at Sasuke. He looked drunk. His eyes were glossy, he looked fatigued but angry, bags under his eyes.

"This is our producer I was telling you about."

"Wonderful," Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Naruto," Gaara said in a raspy voice as if he'd just spent the last week crawling around the desert with nothing to drink, "I don't like this guy."

"Oh?" Naruto said. He was grinning right at Sasuke, as if the two of them were the ones sharing some kind of inside joke, but Sasuke was far from finding this funny. "What don't you like?"

"His eyes," Gaara said, ticking them off the fingers of a hand he was holding up right in front of Naruto's face, close enough the blond man could've bitten them. "His face. I don't like the way he's looking at me now. I don't like the way he's looking at you either."

"Really?" Naruto dropped to a crouch. "How's he looking at us?"

Gaara shifted in the chair and appeared momentarily confused by the question, though he sounded so sure about the insinuation. "Like he's better than us."

"Ah, I see," Naruto said. He put his hand on top of Gaara's head and pat him fondly. "He gives me those looks a lot, too, don't worry. That may be his natural expression."

Sasuke watched these exchanges with some sort of morbid fascination. Naruto seemed so at ease, this must be a recurring event, but it was still unsettling. Gaara could pass for intimidating. He had on a rust-colored t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Naruto was already working on untying the man's brown boots.

"I wanted to call you, but I misplaced my phone somewhere," Naruto said as he pulled off Gaara's boot and then the other. "I hope it's okay if Gaara crashes here. Someone snagged his keys since he'd been drinking, so he can't get into his apartment."

"He drove?" Sasuke asked.

"Gaara only lives part of the week in Manhattan. He has a house in Long Island, so he commutes, yeah."

Naruto went to put the boots by the door.

"Naruto," Gaara called.

"I'm right here, Gaara." Naruto chuckled, and instead of sitting on the other chair, he collapsed on the couch, next to Sasuke. "Gaara and I were in a band once. My first one. We were so awful." He gazed at Gaara with affection.

"You were awful. I wasn't," Gaara replied and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's true, I was terrible. My fingering wasn't very good. I'd learned on an acoustic guitar, and I'd just picked up the electric. I dunno why I couldn't adapt to it as easily."

"I'm sorry to hear that your fingering wasn't very good," Sasuke told him with a straight face.

Gaara snorted. The pair on the couch looked at him.

"So Sasuke, what is it you do?" Gaara interrupted. "Naruto says you're into anal."

Sasuke blanched. "I'm into what?" He glared at Naruto. "What the fuck?"

Naruto tried to keep a serious expression, but then he burst into laughter. "I said he was anal, Gaara. Not _into_ anal."

Somehow that didn't make Sasuke feel any better.

"How do you know, Uzumaki? Did you ask." Gaara smirked at them both.

"No…" Naruto replied with wonder.

Sasuke was too irritated to feel uncomfortable at the assumption both of them were pondering his sexuality.

"No point," Gaara said, and like Naruto had done this morning, he threw a leg over the arm of the chair. "He probably doesn't get out much anyway."

"Is he always this poorly behaved?" Sasuke asked Naruto, though he was looking at Gaara. "Maybe you should keep him on a tighter leash."

"I dunno," Naruto replied, leaning against the cushions and sounding tired. "His bark is as bad as his bite, I have to tell ya."

"What does that even mean?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shrugged.

Gaara snorted and closed his eyes. He started humming.

Naruto leaned in close to Sasuke and whispered near his ear. "Sorry 'bout this, Sasuke. I didn't really wanna bring him 'cause he gets hard to handle, but no one else was sober enough to take him in either."

"I can hear you," Gaara muttered. "That's our Naruto for you. Always picking up strays. Trying to save everyone."

"Gaara," Naruto grit.

Funny that that little comment had been the one to tap into Naruto's impatience.

"I'll get him some water," Sasuke excused himself. When he was in the kitchen, he heard low mutterings and did his best not to pay attention to try and figure out what was being said.

When Sasuke got back, Gaara was laid out on the couch. Naruto sat on the edge of a cushion, leaning over Gaara, and looking as if he were in the perfect position to kiss him.

Sasuke cleared his throat. Naruto turned his head slowly. Gaara's gaze moved even more slowly as his eyes fell upon Sasuke with dislike.

"I think he cut his head a little," Naruto said, looking worried.

Sasuke came over and glanced down. There was the smallest bit of dried blood at the top of Gaara's forehead.

"Small fight," Gaara said with a strange grin. "I won."

Naruto shook his head. "Where was I for this?"

"Hitting on that one chick, probably. You're always hitting on the chicks."

Naruto grinned. He took the bottle when Sasuke handed it to him. "Jealous?"

Gaara smirked and rolled on his side, propping himself with an elbow.

"Sorry, no thanks. Everyone knows your reputation," Gaara replied, but he wore a soft smile that looked as frightening to Sasuke as his earlier smirk.

"And what kind of reputation is that?" Sasuke asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Naruto looked up at him.

"He doesn't do relationships." Gaara seemed to be hit with a wave of nausea. He covered his eyes with his hand.

Sasuke gave Gaara a curious glance, then shifted it to Naruto.

Naruto laughed but his eyes weren't smiling. "He's got me there."

"Someone in his bed every night, but it's not likely you'll see the same person more than twice."

"You're chattier than a chick when you're drunk," Naruto said, the words more stiff than usual. He probably wasn't finding this very cute or amusing. Sasuke wasn't really either, but it was interesting to see what Naruto would do in reaction.

"But I am gonna end up in your bed," Gaara said in a near-whisper.

"I should make you sleep with Sasuke." Naruto sighed.

Gaara scrutinized Sasuke pointedly. "Not my type."

Naruto shook his head. "That's okay. I don't think you're Sasuke's type either."

Gaara didn't seem to take offense; he shrugged and grabbed for Naruto's wrist.

It was obvious to Sasuke they were close. He almost wanted to know more about how they'd met, that band, and how Gaara had become producer of Naruto's new band, but it seemed hard to form the questions on his tongue. Too hard for him to want to show interest.

"Naruto," Sasuke asked suddenly. "What's your band's name?"

Gaara smirked, toying with Naruto's wrist, picking it up only to let it fall beside Naruto's thigh. "I named his band."

"What did you name it?"

"Martyr Complex." Gaara laughed low in his throat. "I thought it fit Naruto well."

"It's more of a joke," Naruto said quietly. "But I got outvoted. The other guys liked it and thought it was funny."

"That's because it is," Gaara said and lay his head down on the pillow. "Uzumaki's always had weird quirks. So long as I've known him."

"I'd have to if we're still friends," Naruto replied, looking down at him, the corner of his lip curling.

Gaara's gaze shifted back to Sasuke. "I remember this time when Naruto would use any excuse he could to drag us over to Rockefeller Center."

"Oh?" Sasuke asked. "Why's that?"

"Shut up, Gaara. No one wants to hear this story."

This made Sasuke curious.

"Stalker," Gaara said and poked Naruto's shoulder. "Tell him."

"I'm not going to tell him that story. Sasuke's not gonna care." Naruto removed Gaara's hand from his wrist. Gaara made a face similar to a pout but more menacing.

"Tell me," Sasuke ordered softly.

Naruto gave him a disgruntled look as if to say: You too, Sasuke?

But Sasuke was less about camaraderie and more about making people uneasy. He and Gaara at least shared that sadistic streak in common.

"I used to hang out around there waiting for Tina Fey to come out of the GE building."

Gaara snorted. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I had a crush on Tina after Ino made me watch all the seasons of 30 Rock with her." He shrugged non-chalantly. "She's hot and funny. My ideal woman. The glasses help, too."

"And you gave up when you never saw her," Sasuke surmised.

"No, no. I saw her," Naruto said, grinning. "I got her autograph and a picture on my cellphone. But she's married, so, yeah. I knew it wasn't gonna work out."

"Plus you don't do relationships," Gaara butted in.

"Yes, and I suppose I don't do relationships as Gaara has continued to point out." Here he looked at Sasuke, but there was something off-putting in his expression. "But that's how it is when you're a musician. There's not enough time in the day to give a partner attention. I don't wanna hurt anyone when I can't give them the time."

"At least there's Ino," Gaara mumbled. Sasuke had thought he'd fallen asleep. He'd had his eyes closed.

"Yeah. Everyone likes Ino," Naruto mused. "She's a good girl who deserves to be happy."

Sasuke thought this comment strange because it seemed to him Ino was perfectly happy with Naruto the other morning, but he wasn't going to be asking these questions anytime soon.

"You liked Ino, right?" Naruto asked Sasuke, looking him straight in the eye.

Sasuke smirked. "She's not my type."

Gaara chuckled. Naruto seemed confused at first, but then he grinned.

"I liked her, yes," Sasuke clarified. "She's welcome anytime."

"What about me?" Gaara asked.

"No."

Naruto laughed gently and pulled at the front of Gaara's t-shirt. "Do you wanna shower first or just go to bed?"

"Bed's good," Gaara said.

Naruto got up and stretched his arms over his head. He gave Sasuke a smile. Sasuke offered a small smile of his own. When Gaara stood, he casually wound his arm around Naruto's waist to get him moving.

"Guess we're goin'," Naruto said, laughter in his voice.

Sasuke'd never known someone who laughed so much. It was bordering on refreshing. At least, if he didn't think it was part of some greater façade he hadn't yet figured out.

Naruto helped Gaara walk to his room, waving behind them.

"Night, Sasuke."

Gaara, of course, said nothing in the way of parting. Sasuke watched them disappear into Naruto's bedroom, trying to comprehend what it was about Naruto that drew people to him. Ino he could understand, but someone like Gaara? Shikamaru?

They all seemed to be protective of him, too. No one ever had anything bad to say, but there were times when Sasuke thought he caught a hint of something else, something deeper, hidden beneath the laughter and large grins and easy-going nature.

But everyone has their issues.

Sasuke of all people knew that quite well actually.

* * *

**TBC**


	4. I WANNA ROCKS

"Bitches love me 'cause they know that I can rock  
Bitches love me 'cause they know that I can rhyme  
Bitches love me 'cause they know that I can fuck  
Bitches love me 'cause they know that I'm on time"  
_-Bitches, _Mindless Self Indulgence

_

* * *

_

They'd been living together for a little less than a week and already Naruto had managed to get Sasuke to agree to something he never would've under normal circumstances. He'd like to chalk it up to the possibility of Naruto slipping things into all that food he kept making him. Some kind of happy pills or roofies. He wasn't sure - as his pee hadn't changed color - but there really wasn't any other explanation for how Naruto got him to agree to go out. And socialize. With people. On a Tuesday night. How old did he think Sasuke was? Twenty-three? At some point, you just can't do that anymore!

The unfortunate scenario, which Sasuke repeatedly played out in his head all day long at work (and due to some bad sushi at lunch the image of Naruto in his brain had been transformed into something like an orange, yapping sock puppet) went as such:

The time was a little after 8 a.m. this morning. A Tuesday morning. Not one of his favorite days of the week. Sasuke was dressed, perfectly preened, coffee in hand, and ready to head to work. Enter Naruto, clad in a really stupid, overly colorful t-shirt and mismatched boxers, looking like he'd gone to bed about twenty minutes ago after having enjoyed a marathon of the world's fastest roller coasters. They proceed to stare each other down in the middle of the living room; Naruto obviously has something on his mind and is trying to figure out how best to approach an already suspicious Sasuke, who is silently cursing himself for not having left sooner.

"Say, Sasuke," Naruto started, trying to keep an innocent and casual tone, "I don't wanna keep bothering you about comin' out with me and my friends, but a few different bands are playin' tonight at a low-key place, and so…-"

Sasuke gave him a blank look. "No."

"I know you're mouth is saying no, but all the important parts are screaming _yes_!" Naruto threaded his fingers together and put them behind his head, grinning in a manner that unsettled Sasuke greatly.

"My important parts?" Sasuke repeated slowly.

"I mean, my band isn't playing, but I'm gonna be doing backup vocals and guitar for Ino. She's got new stuff she wants to play. You wouldn't wanna disappoint Ino, right?" Naruto squinted at him and smiled even more brightly. If he thought he'd won anything with that kind of approach it only showed Sasuke just how much of an amateur his roommate was at these kinds of negotiations.

"Guilt won't work on me, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened, the gears in his brain turning and trying to find which angle would work best. This amused Sasuke very much. He crossed his arms over his chest as if answering the challenge.

"Do I have to resort to blackmail?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke snorted, playing with the end of his cobalt tie. "You don't have anything on me."

"That's true." Naruto nodded his head in agreement and held his chin with his fingers, thinking hard. "How about, if you come out this once, I won't ask you ever again unless it seems you had a good time?"

Sasuke sighed. He stared with distaste at Naruto's bright orange shirt that read: _Bitches love me 'cause they know that I can rock!_ He wondered if perhaps that was a carry-over from Naruto's high school days. Or a recent trip to a Salvation Army thrift store.

"I can't focus when you wear shirts like that," Sasuke said, stalling for time even if there was some truth in it. "And I have work tomorrow."

"You work every damn day," Naruto grumbled. "Be a man."

"A man works because he has manly bills to pay," Sasuke returned with a smirk.

"Shut up! Now you're just being difficult!" Naruto prodded Sasuke in the middle of his chest.

Sasuke glared at the finger, replying teasingly: "Only now?"

"Okay, you're always difficult!" Naruto stuck his thumb inside the waistband of his boxers, flipping it up and down. "So make it up to me by showing up tonight. Everyone wants to meet you!"

"Who's everyone? Is Gaara going to be there?"

Naruto laughed. "What, you're still not over that? Gaara will be there, yeah, so will Ino. A bunch of people. They're like my family. I want you to meet them."

"You make this sound like I'm about to meet the in-laws."

Naruto smirked. Hair messier than usual today, he reached for the most rebellious of his bangs and tucked them behind his ear. "In a way, that's exactly how it is."

Sasuke thought perhaps the implication of his comment went over Naruto's head. He grimaced and, out of habit when uncomfortable, put his hand in a slack pocket. "What time does it start?"

"Seven."

"I have to work late."

"That's fine. Come when you can. The performances'll go on until later, just try to make it time for some of Ino's set at 8.30, alright? She's nervous about her new songs, so I think it'd make her feel better to see you there."

"Hn. I doubt it. Where's it at?"

"Joe's Pub," Naruto answered immediately, sounding genuinely excited at the prospect Sasuke might end up going. "It's near the East Village on Lexington. If you're coming from the apartment just take the W to 8th Street. You won't miss it. Big brick building."

Sasuke waved a hand. "I'll figure it out, thanks."

"Fuck yeah, Sasuke, I'm so stoked you're gonna hang out with us tonight. I hope I don't get self-conscious on stage."

"Does that happen?"

"No, never." Naruto's laughter was deep and gruff. Cocky.

"You're such a moron."

"Well, wait until you see me tonight. You might be callin' me a genius."

"In your dreams."

* * *

The train came to a stop at the 8th Street station. Sasuke left work around the time he'd expected, but it also meant going uptown to the apartment in order to change clothes. In the end, he settled for a pair of his nicer designer (but comfortable) blue jeans, a black t-shirt, black boots, and a watch with a thick black leather band. Not that he was all that concerned with impressing anyone, but he certainly didn't want to appear as if he was trying _too_ hard; Naruto would call him on it. Then again, Naruto would probably be too busy with this thing tonight to even notice whether he made it. It also meant he could sneak out undetected after making a brief appearance. That way Naruto would never bother him about going out again.

While he couldn't imagine Joe's Pub being all that crowded for a Tuesday night, this sort of casual attire would allow him to blend in with any venue. He actually knew very little about Naruto's band other than a couple names he'd heard dropped and quickly forgot thereafter. He wasn't even sure what kind of music Naruto's band played, but judging by Naruto's lifestyle, the tattoos, and his friends, it was probably something like rock or alternative. He really hoped it wasn't the kind of band that screamed so loudly the lyrics became incomprehensible, and you went deaf for several days afterward.

That was unlikely, however, as several times Sasuke had caught Naruto singing around the apartment, and sometimes he could hear him in the shower. Naruto had a good voice. Sasuke could admit that much. It was low and a bit rough, but when he sang in a higher range it sounded…

Well, he didn't know the technical term for it, so even if he was just backing Ino up for this evening, it might be interesting to see what Naruto's persona was like on stage.

Once on street level, he looked around at the street signs to re-gain his bearings before turning left toward Lexington. The building was easy enough to find. There wasn't much to the entrance. It was flanked by a tall black iron fence, and there was a red rectangular awning that jutted out over the doors. Sasuke paused in front of the steps, noticing the posters advertising tonight's performance. Unfortunately there were no pictures, only text. Sasuke checked his watch. He probably had about fifteen minutes before Ino started performing. He slipped past a few people chatting against the roped divider and stopped at the window adjacent to the entrance. Naruto hadn't had a spare ticket to offer, but he'd said he'd put Sasuke's name on will call. The woman behind the window checked her list, asked for an ID, and then gave him a red paper bracelet for his wrist.

Once inside, he was hit with the refreshing feel of the air-conditioning. The place wasn't too large. In the back left of the room as he walked further in, there was a massive bar with people on the stools, their martinis in front of them as two bartenders went back and forth, working efficiently to serve everyone. The small, square tables started in the back and moved toward the front of the large room, even right up to the stage. Near the stage, there were also built-in couches and chairs of a plush purple fabric. Naruto was there with Ino and a couple other people Sasuke didn't recognize. Naruto, attention focused, was checking the speakers at the front of the stage while sitting in a crouch. He kept glancing at Ino over his shoulder, smiling, talking, and nodding his head. She punched him in the arm and laughed. This made Sasuke smile automatically, but once he realized he was doing it, he attempted to smother it.

Seeing as how he had time to get a drink first, he went to the bar and ordered a beer. The place was cramped, and it would've been easy to trip over legs or chairs, but he maneuvered through it all easily as he walked up to the stage to give an obligatory hello. While he stood there, Ino was the first to notice him. She smiled brightly, putting the microphone into the stand as she started to step off the stage. Naruto stood at the same time. Sasuke held his hand out to assist Ino in getting down, shocked as Ino wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"Sasuke! I'm so glad you could make it. When Naruto said you were coming, I was actually really surprised and pleased!"

The greeting was so warm and genuine, Sasuke offered a soft, polite smile. But before he could respond to the affectionate welcome, Naruto jumped onto the floor and slapped a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He wound the other arm around Ino's waist.

"I'm so fuckin' ecstatic you didn't flake on me, Sasuke. I didn't wanna get my hopes up or anything. I'm really happy you came!" Naruto's smile was wide.

Both of them were smiling at him now, and for an instant Sasuke was reminded of that movie _Children of the Damned_. It was a lesson of history that where the blond and blue-eyed gathered, something was likely to go terribly wrong.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some people. We're just about to start, I think." Naruto glanced at his watch and suddenly looked up at Sasuke. "You look good by the way. I like you out of your suits."

Sasuke blinked at him, and Ino laughed, taking over where Naruto left off.

"I'll introduce him to everyone, Naruto. Will you finish the patching, just to make sure? When I tried it earlier, there was a bit too much feedback. Will you check with the sound guy?"

"Sure." Naruto nodded. "I'll be back in a sec. Make sure Karui doesn't do anything violent to him? And I don't know where Omoi is, but I want Sasuke to meet him. Darui and Shii were playin' pool in the back room last I saw 'em."

"Okay, okay," Ino said with a hint of impatience and waved him away. "He has all night to meet everyone. You don't have to play social director, I know how introductions work."

Naruto pouted. "They're my bandmates," he explained to Sasuke anyway. "Darui and Shii. And Omoi's been my best friend as long as Gaara. Ah, crap, hang on, I'll be back."

Someone was yelling for Naruto, which, according to what Ino whispered to him, that was the sound guy. Ino looped her arm with Sasuke's and took him all of a few feet away to one of the couches. There was a huge crowd surrounding one of the tables. Sasuke was already starting to feel overwhelmed.

Several pairs of eyes gazed at him in a bored sort of curiosity as Ino called for their attention.

"Guys, this is Naruto's new roommate, Sasuke. He came to watch us tonight."

There were several "Hello Sasukes," as Ino cut into the introductions right away, starting with the end seat on the left. "That guy in the glasses with the short, spiky hair is Chojiro, my drummer. Next to him is Temari, my bassist, Gaara-"

"We've met," Sasuke murmured.

Gaara looked at him and smirked, then said something to the woman at his side, Temari. She laughed loudly and hit her hand against the table. Sasuke ignored them.

"Ah, you've met? Hm, okay, oh yeah that's right. Then next to Gaara is Fuu," Ino whispered into Sasuke's ear, "He's my older brother."

Even if Ino hadn't said as much, the resemblance was uncanny. Fuu had long blond hair, as long as Ino's, and it was pulled into a slick ponytail. They both had those same eyes, that cool ice blue that could really catch you off guard if that was their intention.

"Next to Fuu is his boyfriend Torune."

Sasuke's only reaction to that was the slightest raise of an eyebrow, but it mostly had to do with the dark-tinted glasses he was wearing when there was hardly any lighting to begin with other than the votive candles placed in the center of each table.

"They're like an old married couple." Ino giggled and whipped her hair behind her shoulder.

Sasuke had nodded in acknowledgment at each introduction. It was far too loud to exchange conversation across the table.

"I should probably check on Naruto, but feel free to grab a seat, or," Ino pointed toward a hallway on the other side of their seating area, "If you go down that hallway, there's a back room with a pool table. I think Omoi, Shii, and Darui are in there. Probably Karui, too, I guess." She nudged Sasuke with her elbow and smiled conspiratorially, "Saved the best for last." She laughed, but Sasuke didn't quite get the joke. "They're a handful, but they're Naruto's good buddies. When the five of them get together… I've never seen anything like it. Maybe if I'd ever gone to Spain like I always wanted. To do the running of the bulls or that other one where people throw tomatoes at each other?"

Sasuke rewarded her with a quiet chuckle. "Do they often run through the streets of the city nude while covered in tomatoes?"

Ino pressed her finger to her lips and laughed.

"You look very pretty tonight," Sasuke complimented her because she did look especially beautiful tonight. "Are you nervous at all? Naruto said you're singing something new."

Ino looked surprised, but she squeezed his arm. "I am a bit," she admitted shyly. Her arm was warm against Sasuke's skin, and her perfume was sweet and feminine. "But Naruto's helped me a lot, with the music and the lyrics. I even talked him into doing one of my favorite covers at the end of my set, but everything else is original. I hope people like it."

"You're not performing with your band?"

"Oh, well. Chojiro's going to be up there for the first song, but the rest is sort of folksy acoustic stuff I'm working on, and Temari offered to do it, but Naruto's been practicing with me. We have these nights where we get sort of incestuous and mix up the bands because it's fun."

Sasuke smirked at the word incestuous. After all, Naruto had already addressed these people as his family, and Sasuke felt as if he'd already been welcomed with open arms. It was a strange feeling, this.

"Well, I'll let you get going," Sasuke said. "Good luck."

Ino removed her arm from his and smiled. She was about to walk away, but then she paused and pulled him into another hug. She must have been more nervous than he realized.

"Thanks, Sasuke!"

She beamed at him and went in search of Naruto, leaving Sasuke to fend for himself. He barely managed to hide his surprise as Gaara and Temari made room for him and waved him to come sit between them.

* * *

It pained him to say this, but sitting between Gaara and Temari may have been the safest place for him to sit. Ino was already on stage, and Naruto was tuning his guitar as he sat on a stool behind where the microphone was set up. It was right then that a string of four others decided to join the table: three men and a very attractive, mouthy woman.

They pulled a few chairs over and tried to fit into the gaps surrounding the table. Gaara introduced them to Sasuke. There was Darui and Shii, Naruto's bandmates. Shii was relatively quiet and laid back. Darui seemed to be sizing Sasuke up, but for the most part remained indifferent to Sasuke's presence. It was Omoi and Karui that were something else. They both came at him with a million questions, most of which Sasuke answered in grunts and one-word responses while Gaara and Temari exchanged amused glances.

It was only when Ino began speaking and introducing herself that the nosy twosome decided to shut up and turn around to face the stage, bombarding the room with hollers and whistles.

Ino looked good on stage. She didn't appear as nervous as when Sasuke had seen her last.

The lights gave a soft purple and pink glow. Ino was wearing a sheer, light pink peasant top that fell off both her shoulders. Her blond hair was up in a high ponytail, loose curls spilling around her face. Sasuke studied Naruto's reactions as Ino spoke to the room. He was smiling. Not the huge grin he sometimes showed, but Sasuke could tell he was proud of Ino. Plus there was something about Naruto's posture and the way he purposely tried to stay out of the spotlight, hiding half of his body in the shadows. It was a quiet respectfulness that he wasn't even aware Naruto could possess. It was obvious he wanted all the focus to be on Ino and not himself.

Temari and Gaara talked, but Sasuke kept himself preoccupied by watching everything happening on stage. Everyone had already started drinking, and every time Sasuke's glass ran low, someone would grab the pitcher and fill it for him. It was amazing the control Ino had over the crowd. It was just her and the mic, Naruto in the background, eyes lowered as he kicked off the song with the guitar intro.

When Ino sang, her voice was confident, sincere, and sweet. Not that Sasuke was anywhere near musically inclined, but it made him think of folk singers from the 1960s: Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell. It was relaxing and wonderful, and now he could understand why Naruto looked at her like that. It was, perhaps, the first time Sasuke felt envious of the closeness in their relationship. He even started to feel angry that Naruto would jerk someone around like that. It was clear they both cared for each other just by the way Naruto would glance up every once in a while at Ino.

As Sasuke drank and listened to the lyrics, he started to feel a strange contentment, and he occasionally joined in on the conversations flowing around him. Even with Fuu and Torune, who spoke only if they had something to say, but when they did speak, Sasuke found them to be rather interesting and intelligent, knowledgeable about world events and politics. But the two of them were very much wrapped up in each other, so Sasuke left them to their privacy.

Ino chatted with the crowd between songs, talking about her inspiration for the lyrics. When she thanked Naruto for being her accompaniment, there was a roar of appreciation that his roommate only nodded at in a surprisingly humble manner.

How many sides were there to Naruto? And only in one week, too.

Naruto's playing was solid, respectful, and attentive. It blended so well with Ino's folksy vocals. They made a wonderful collaboration and it was apparent, even to a novice like Sasuke, that they'd been playing together like this for a long time.

Near the end of the set, Sasuke felt dazed from the music and alcohol.

As the applause for the previous song quieted, Ino capped her bottle of water and glanced behind. Naruto smiled and nodded, adjusting his footing on the bottom footrest of the stool, re-settling the guitar on his knee. He positioned his hands and waited.

Ino gazed out at the crowd again. "I'd like to thank everyone for coming tonight," she said with a gracious smile. "I don't always write my own songs, but Naruto pushed me until I gave in and agreed to do this. So I suppose that's one more thing to add to the list of why I'm so grateful to know him."

Of course, the entire table at which Sasuke sat released a collective "Awww."

Behind Ino, Naruto laughed and threw a playful look in their direction. Very briefly, his eyes met with Sasuke's, and he smirked. Sasuke, still reflective, only managed to raise an eyebrow, probably not anything Naruto could've seen.

"Anyway, this last song is a cover." Ino paused and shut her eyes for a few seconds, her fingers tightening their grip around the microphone. She inhaled deeply. "It… means a lot to me. And Naruto, too."

Naruto stood up. There was a microphone beside him and he pulled it in front of the stool, bending it so that it'd be directly in front of his mouth as he re-seated himself.

"So, he's gonna join me in some of the vocals here. This is "Jolene." "

The song started with Naruto's gentle strumming, Ino's voice entering shortly after in a way that caught everyone's breath. There was no sound in the room other than Naruto's guitar and Ino's voice.

"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man. Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. Please don't take him just because you can."

Ino shut her eyes, smiling wistfully as her head tilted to the side. "Your beauty is beyond compare, with flaming locks of auburn hair, with ivory skin and eyes of emerald green. Your smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain. And I cannot compete with you, Jolene. He talks about you in his sleep. There's nothing I can do or keep from cryin', when he calls your name, Jolene."

When Ino opened her eyes, the lights caught the reflection of the tears in the corners, making their color a striking shade of sky blue. Sasuke's gaze softened as he looked over at Naruto, but his roommate had his eyes closed, and his brows were pushed together. He looked so pained. As Sasuke glanced around the table, there were similar expressions of grief to be found. Temari was biting the side of her lip. Gaara had his arms crossed. Karui was leaning her head on Omoi's shoulder, and he had his arm around her, hugging her consolingly.

What was this? Sasuke had no idea, but it made him feel like an intruder.

Ino sang as several tears slid down her cheeks, making the pitch of her voice go up: "And I can easily understand how you could easily take my man, but you don't know what he means to me, Jolene."

When the chorus started again, Naruto joined her in the vocals, and the way their voices blended gripped Sasuke's chest and made every part of him feel rigid. His fingers were spread out, tensed, on the table. Ino's voice had become even more raw, and the snap of Naruto's playing at just the right moments evoked a hiss out of a handful of people. It was so powerful. Even at the end, when Ino's voice cracked a little, it was absolutely beautiful.

When Ino's last note faded, Naruto played some fifteen seconds more, and it was already clear the affect that had left on everyone. Ino wiped her tears away with her hand, her eyes cast at the floor. Naruto was watching Ino's back as he played the remainder of the song out. As soon as he was done, he pushed aside the mic and went to her. Rather than embarrass her, by pulling her into a hug, he put his arm around her waist in support and squeezed.

Ino regained herself and smiled. She kissed Naruto gently on the cheek.

"Thanks again," she said into the mic.

Naruto removed his arm, and Ino bowed at the sound of the applause.

Instantaneously, as Naruto and Ino began to pick up on stage, the room erupted into excited babble, everyone talking about Ino and how beautiful and amazing she was.

Sasuke continued to observe the both of them. He saw Naruto take Ino aside, into the shadows. He hugged her then and rubbed her back. She seemed to shake against him, her chin on his shoulder. Naruto held her for a long while.

"What did you think?" Gaara asked, and Sasuke got the distinct impression he was trying to get Sasuke's attention away from that curious scene.

"It was amazing," Sasuke said honestly because he wasn't above giving praise where it was due.

Gaara smirked in a self-satisfied manner.

"I really wish she would've let me accompany her, but I get it," Temari announced gruffly. "She let Chojiro drum that first song."

"Jealous?" Karui turned around, propping her elbows on the table. She was directly across from Sasuke.

Temari glared at her and sniffed, but as her eyes swept up to the stage, her expression softened considerably. "No. I get it. There'll be other times. I know Naruto helped her a lot with those songs, and she wanted to surprise us. I'm surprised, really. She's always been a great writer, but I didn't know she had that sorta stuff in her."

"I did," Karui whispered, grinning. Omoi turned around, too.

"Did you?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You seemed awfully nervous for her earlier."

Darui and Shii glanced at them. They'd been in the middle of their own conversation.

"Shut up, Omoi," Karui snapped. "Shouldn't you get up there and help. Start setting up our things, too."

Omoi scowled. "That goes for you, too, princess. No reason you can't help tape."

Sasuke cleared his throat. Really, they were like children. "You two are performing next then?"

Omoi and Karui looked at him as if he were stupid.

"Yeah." Omoi picked up a toothpick from off the table and started chewing the tip. "Me. Karui and Temari are gonna go up in a sec. Fuu's sitting out since his boyfriend isn't in town often and they just wanna hang out, which is cool. Right Fuu?"

Fuu gave them an impassive glance at the sound of his name being mentioned, but that was it.

"Bastard," Omoi muttered when Fuu immediately returned to his intimate conversation with Torune, who had at last taken his glasses off and set them on the table in front of him. "It's those silent types you have to worry about."

Gaara coughed indiscreetly.

"Besides you, of course, Gaara," Omoi corrected himself. He then narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, pointing the toothpick at him. "Maybe we should worry about you, eh, Sasuke? You're not some secret sociopath that's gonna murder our Naruto in his sleep one night, are ya?"

Sasuke gave him a steady look, greatly amused that he seemed the one most likely to snap in this arrangement. "Well, now that _you_ know about it, I'm going to have to take care of you as well."

Temari snorted and slapped Sasuke on the arm. He had the urge to glare at her, but bore it instead.

"Well, we should get up there. They look like they're about done cleaning up their stuff," Omoi said. "C'mon Karui." He started to pull her up by the arm, but Karui slapped it away.

"Geez, I can get up myself, I'm coming. Don't pull. This is new shirt, y'know."

"You're such a nag," Omoi griped and hopped up on stage.

Sasuke watched as he hugged Naruto and smacked him on the back in congratulations. Naruto whispered something in his ear to which Omoi laughed loudly. Omoi then went to Ino and hugged her, too. Naruto set his guitar on a stand near the far wall and walked to the edge of the stage, jumping off. Karui passed him at the same time, but she let Naruto help her step up. There was something of a blush on Karui's cheeks as they passed.

_Incestuous_ was right.

Temari excused herself and managed to get out from behind the table to join her friends. She stopped Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. Naruto grinned and shook his head a couple of times. One particular comment Temari made to him caused Naruto's smile to become strained, but he nodded again. Temari squeezed his shoulder and got up on the stage without any assistance.

Naruto stood there for a second, but then seemed to cheer up considerably when Darui and Shii called to him.

Sasuke was watching all this, observing everything silently. He could sometimes feel Gaara's eyes on him. He'd felt that a lot already tonight, but he figured that Gaara was still checking him out. Either because Gaara was the possessive type of friend or he simply didn't like Sasuke.

It didn't matter either way.

Naruto put Shii into a headlock, while Darui asked him about his hand. Naruto answered by sticking out his right hand and wiggling his fingers. Sasuke couldn't quite hear the conversation, not that he was intentionally trying to eavesdrop, but he had little to say to Gaara and Gaara had little to say to him. So he drank some more.

Minutes later, a hot body pressed against him as Naruto slid into the booth to take Temari's spot.

"Can I have some of that? I'm thirsty." Naruto grabbed a random glass and pulled it over to make it easier for Sasuke.

Sasuke reached for the closest pitcher and poured Naruto a beer.

"Well, what did you think?" Naruto asked as he gulped the beer like it was water.

"It was good."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, looking offended. "Just good?"

"Well, _Ino_ was amazing."

Naruto smiled at the sarcasm. "Jerk."

"She seemed pleased with your fingering."

"My what? Oh. Yeah." Naruto chuckled before taking a drink and swallowing. "Yes, my fingering is some of the best in the city."

"That's probably because of all of your _experience_," Sasuke replied and continued to empty his own glass.

Naruto eyed him suspiciously.

"You were a bit rushed on the fourth song," Gaara said, leaning away from the back of the couch to speak with Naruto. "Your finger work seemed sort of sloppy."

"Ah, you noticed?" Naruto laughed despite the fact he looked a bit embarrassed. "I thought I did well by hiding it when I sped up after the bridge, but I guess it did only come out rushed."

"You're out of practice. Too much partying," Gaara said.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and turned his eyes to the stage, watching his three friends organizing their equipment and duct taping anything that might move while performing. Darui was handing Omoi some fresh towels and some extra bottled waters to be set nearby the mic stands.

"I love Karui's voice," Naruto whispered as he watched her. Ino had slipped off somewhere without Sasuke having noticed.

"Where's Ino?" he asked.

"She went to the restroom," Naruto answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Mascara problems."

Sasuke wanted to comment about what had happened with that last song, but he felt it wasn't really his business. He was genuinely interested in Ino's abilities, but it would probably sound strange coming from him if he were to pry. Instead, he let the conversation die as he, Gaara, and Naruto drank and watched the activity on the stage.

Shii and Darui were just coming back with a couple new pitchers of beer. Now that there was more room, they sat across from Sasuke and Naruto. Everyone slipped into a casual conversation, most of which Sasuke couldn't follow since they were either talking about music or people he didn't know. So, in silence, he sipped his beer, answering questions only when they were directed to him specifically. Ten minutes later, Ino came back to the table, while Gaara excused himself and gestured for Ino to take his seat on the sofa. Ino sat beside Sasuke, quiet at first. He was surprised that Naruto wasn't being very talkative, and there seemed to be some kind of tension.

"It sounded like the songs were a hit with the crowd," Sasuke said stiffly, annoyed he had to go out of his way to do something he thought Naruto should be doing. This encouragement stuff wasn't really his forte and only made him feel awkward. Something he hated.

"You think?" Ino looked at Sasuke as if she didn't believe him.

Sasuke grabbed her a glass and poured her beer for her, fighting a sigh of irritation. "Here, maybe this will help."

Ino reached for the glass. "Thanks. Sorry. I'm sort of tired and out of it."

Sasuke nodded at this, not really finding it to be the real truth behind her behavior, but he accepted the explanation nonetheless. It's not as if he felt irritated with her. It was Naruto he wanted to kick.

"Hey, where'd Chojiro go, by the way?" Naruto leaned across Sasuke to ask. "Did he take off after the first song? That guy's always one of the first to leave."

"He has to work early tomorrow, Naruto," Ino answered.

"I didn't even see him go," Sasuke added. Then again, he hadn't left much of an impression on Sasuke to begin with; they hadn't exchanged more than a brief 'hello.'

"He talks less than Gaara," Naruto mumbled.

"You talk enough for Gaara and Chojiro combined," said Shii.

Darui nodded as he ran his finger over the lit wick of the votive candle. "Yeah, man. There's no need for either to talk so long as you're around."

"Hey, are you guys ready for Saturday's show?" asked Ino. "I hear you're one of the openers for Mr Special and Laurie Webb?"

"Oh? So Naruto spilled the beans, did he?"

"Well, it's not like there's a reason to keep it a secret," Naruto said. He was leaning so much over Sasuke in order to talk to the rest of the table that he probably should've offered to switch places.

"Naruto can't keep secrets," Ino whispered to Sasuke, though Naruto could probably hear what she was saying.

Sasuke smirked. "I can see that about him as starved for attention as he is."

Naruto punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up. I'm not starved for attention." Slyly, he grinned. "I get plenty of it!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"So modest," Shii said and threw a straw at Naruto.

Naruto stuck his bottom lip out in a mock-pout. "Bah, you're my bandmates. You're not supposed to pick on me."

"But you make it so easy," Sasuke agreed.

"It's true," Darui said, refilling his glass as well as Shii's, though Shii had just gotten up to assist Omoi with an amp cord that wasn't working. "He's a pushover. Nicest fuckin' guy in the world. Everyone's always taking advantage of him. We tried to teach him how to be a dick once, but it was like trying to get _Barney_ to be intimidating, y'know?"

"I can't help it," Naruto complained, attempting to sound anguished. "It must've been the way I was raised. Maybe my roommate can give me a few tips?"

Sasuke turned his head just barely, but with Naruto still leaning over him, it brought their faces rather close. Naruto's cheeks were still flushed from the performance.

"Are you asking me for advice on something?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"Yes," Naruto replied with an odd grin, angling his head to the side. "Tell me, Sasuke. How can I be more aloof and stand-offish?"

"I'm sorry," said Sasuke facetiously, "But that is a talent you have to be innately born with. It's a gift and not something that can be taught to just anyone. Especially a slow-learner like you."

"Hey. I pick up things plenty fast," Naruto argued, stopping the glass from reaching his mouth as he spoke.

"I'm not sure if the things you pick up plenty fast are the type Sasuke want to teach you," interjected Shii as he sat down again. He laughed at Naruto's expense, and so did Darui.

Sasuke heard Ino snort. She hadn't been saying much of anything, and she looked tired. He wondered if he should ask if she was feeling well, but performing was likely an exhausting event. If the others weren't worried about her, he had no reason to be.

"Jesus, you guys. Sasuke's gonna think I'm a whore. I'm not a whore here, I'm just a musician," Naruto replied defensively. He backed away from Sasuke, giving him more breathing room finally.

"Omoi and them are about to go on anyway," Naruto said. He held his glass of beer in his lap as he watched them. "Wonder where Gaara went."

"Gaara's gonna play with them," Ino answered. She shifted beside Sasuke and leaned her head on his shoulder.

The contact was unexpected for him, but he said nothing.

"What? Since when?" Naruto was back to leaning over Sasuke again.

Sasuke glared at him for intruding in his space, and when Naruto saw Ino leaning against him, his eyes seemed to clear up.

Ino spoke quietly through a yawn: "I think it was a last minute thing. He's adding another rhythm guitar."

"Really?" Naruto's voice was gruff and curious. "I haven't heard Gaara on rhythm in a long time."

"I think it was meant to be a surprise," Ino said.

"I am surprised, I am," Naruto replied. "I _love_ the way he plays. He can listen to something once, and he gets it. I envy him."

Ino nodded, but Sasuke's eyebrow arched at this comment and Naruto noticed.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Sasuke replied and decided to change the subject. "What does Karui's band sound like?"

"Ah, hm, how would you guys describe it?" Naruto looked at Shii and Darui first. They looked at Ino to answer for them.

"Well, Karui's voice is very versatile," she explained, thoughtful. "She can be a bit jazzy, you know, but she likes R&B and hip-hop. I'd say their songs are similar in style to, well, they sometimes sound like Morcheeba, and other times they remind me of Black-Eyed Peas. But, honestly, I hate to say that when Karui isn't a big fan of pop. But it's high-energy when they do that kind of song, otherwise it's pretty relaxed, mellow."

"Interesting," Sasuke said, because he had a hard time imagining it, and he also figured nothing he'd see after this would compare to Ino's set.

"Yeah, they all play together so well. Even Fuu. I'd love to have him as a guest drummer at some point. He's so focused, and he's so quiet off the stage, but suddenly when he's on, he is _on_ and has some charisma."

"Yeah, we all know you're all about the charisma, Mr. Frontman," Darui stated sarcastically, but was giving Naruto a fond look.

Naruto grinned; Darui and Shii laughed at him.

Sasuke wanted to look over at where Fuu and Torune were sitting to see if they'd acknowledge the comments, but Ino being there made it difficult for him to turn his head, and the last time he had seen them, they appeared about ready to make out.

"Has Sasuke seen you perform at all besides tonight?" Shii asked.

"No," Naruto answered hastily and looked at Sasuke. "He hasn't."

"Too bad," Shii said.

"You should see him soon," Darui added.

"He will," said Ino. Sasuke gazed at her questioningly.

"Oh?" he asked, voice barely audible. The comment had been meant only for him to hear.

Ino smiled at him and straightened herself up from off his shoulder. She toyed with her earrings.

"I think even _you'll_ be impressed."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sure," he answered. "He seems full of surprises."

"He is."

Sasuke poured some more beer in her glass since it was low, then poured himself some more, as well. When he saw Naruto's was low, too, he went ahead and finished off the pitcher by filling his roommate's glass.

"Thanks," Naruto said, taking the glass without looking at Sasuke. His eyes were trained on the stage. Gaara had managed to sneak up on stage with no one noticing. He stood to Karui's right, Omoi at her left, and Temari on the drums.

* * *

Three songs into the groups' set, the pub had become packed with people. Tables and chairs had been moved around so that more people could sit closer to the front. It was true that Karui and Omoi both had really great stage presence, and the chemistry between the two was very good. Sasuke had spent a lot of time watching Gaara simply out of curiosity and the hope he would screw up somewhere, but he never did.

As soon as the band had started, something must have clicked in everyone's brain. Naruto had been blabbering in his ear incessantly, but so had Ino. Fuu and Torune had seen some people they knew and joined another table, but friends of Naruto's had taken their seats. He hadn't had a chance to even get their names, not that he was too concerned about it.

"Stop bumping into me," Sasuke growled for the fifth time.

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto said. He was fidgeting in the seat. It must've been hard for him to watch other people perform. Since there was room, he kicked his legs up onto the end of the couch.

Within the last two songs, Sasuke'd had enough alcohol to develop quite a buzz, but it couldn't be helped. Every time he glanced at his glass, someone had topped it off for him.

Naruto muttered something, and the next thing Sasuke knew, his roommate was trying to get around the table to get a better view. He squeezed between Shii and Darui, crouching on the ground because there was no spare chair. Darui put a hand on Naruto's head and ruffled his hair while Shii wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Guess I wasn't good enough company," Sasuke mumbled, fingers curling around the glass.

"Don't worry about it." Ino smiled at him in reassurance. "He gets like that every time. Sometimes we have to hold him down when we go to concerts. He always wants to get up there and sing with the band."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate that." Sasuke smoothed a hand over the front of his shirt and rubbed the back of his neck.

Naruto yelled Gaara's name and waved an arm excitedly.

Gaara, expression focused, glanced at Naruto and smirked, turning his body more toward the table so that they got a better view of his fingers. Naruto howled again, but Shii grabbed for another glass of beer and shoved it in Naruto's face. That shut him up for a little while, and it made Ino laugh.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked without looking at her.

"I'm better, yeah, thanks for asking. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you're so observant," she said over the noise.

Sasuke shook his head. He'd been about as sympathetic as he could in this kind of situation.

"Karui sounds so good up there," Ino commented as she set her chin in her hand, leaning an elbow on the table.

Sasuke nodded. He agreed she did sound good, but it wasn't what he was used to, and he still preferred Ino's vocals.

The fourth song was upbeat, more guitars, more drums, more of a rock sound than the previous songs. People were standing to get a better view of the band. Naruto had scrambled up to sit on Shii's right leg, practically in his lap. Shii had an arm around Naruto's waist as his roommate wiggled with the song, singing along because he apparently knew every word. Sasuke watched his lips move. Naruto had his eyes on Karui.

He chanced a glance at Ino.

Ino must have sensed it. "He's drawn to anyone with creative talent. It can't be helped."

"Ah."

At the end of the song, the energy in the room shifted. The overhead spotlights changed and started moving over the entire stage. There was a pause as Gaara slipped the rhythm guitar off his shoulder and took Omoi's bass. Temari stepped out from behind the drums, and Omoi took her spot. Immediately, Gaara started with a heavy bassline. Temari came to the center of the stage, holding the guitar Gaara had been using.

Naruto looked around everywhere, confused. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

They heard him. All of them were watching him, grinning. Sasuke looked at Ino, but she was smiling, too.

Naruto was as bewildered as Sasuke. He looked at Shii, then at Darui. "What are they doing? Why are they playing _this_?"

Karui stepped up to the mic. "We'd like to request that Naruto Uzumaki get his ass up here before we have to repeat this bassline one more time."

"What?" Naruto screeched as Darui and Shii shoved him forward, and he nearly ran right into a table of six people. "Seriously?"

Gaara was nodding at him to come up, shifting his hips and footing with the rhythm.

Karui edged to the side of the stage and offered her hand. Naruto went to her and took it. She said something, to which Naruto yelled: "Are you serious? You bastards should've told me! Fuck yeah, I'm in!"

Karui laughed and as she got down on the floor, she grabbed the bottom of Naruto's shirt and hoisted it over his head. Shii and Darui hollered and whooped. The crowd nearby made a strangled noise of approval. Naruto hopped up onto the stage after flashing Karui another sexy grin. Temari handed him the guitar and moved to stand against the wall but not off from the stage.

"He's like a kid," Sasuke said, amused. It'd all happened so fast, but he couldn't hide he was excited about this. Because Naruto was excited.

"He loves this band," Ino said. "He loves Muse. They'd been planning it for a week. He'd been so put out they hadn't asked him to perform."

"I see," said Sasuke.

As Naruto adjusted the guitar and joined in with Gaara and Omoi, the sound was electric as he started playing. He danced and jerked around the stage. Gaara was moving more than before, too. It was like the stage had exploded with energy. It made the room feel so hot and strange. Everyone's eyes were glued on Naruto as he bounced, pick strumming chaotically. Gaara's head bobbed, and he was watching Naruto with intensity. Omoi, on the drums, was grinning and nodding his head with the hard beat.

"I told you you'd be impressed," Ino said, and it made Sasuke wonder what kind of expression she'd seen on his face. At that moment, Karui squeezed in on his other side.

"He's badass, isn't he?" She whispered and set her elbow on the table, leaning her cheek against a hand as she watched them in obvious envy. "God I love watching him play guitar."

With a cue from Gaara, Naruto went up to the mic. The smile on his face was infectious. The crowd was smiling back. Naruto opened his mouth to sing:

"She had something to confess to, but you don't have the time, so, look the other way. You will wait until it's over, to reveal what you've never shown her. Too little much too late."

Naruto stepped back, watching his own fingers on the guitar.

He stepped forward again. "Too long, trying to resist it. You've just gone and missed it. It's escaped your _world_."

The way he drew out the last word was almost like the purr of a lion. He stepped back again, ripping it up as the drums and bass picked up behind him, blinding lights flashing everywhere.

"Can you see that I am needing, begging for so much more than you can ever give. And I don't want you to adore me. Don't want you to ignore me, when it pleases you, yeaaaaah" Naruto's voice rose into a higher range. "Well I'll do it on my own."

Gaara stepped up with the bass, edging toward the front of the stage. Naruto's gaze slid to him, and he smirked at his friend. He was covered in sweat, his hair wild; chest, arms and stomach dripping with sweat.

"Can't you see me that I am needing… begging for so much more? Than you can give me. And I don't want you to adore me, don't want you to ignore me! When it pleases you. I'll do it on my own."

Sasuke couldn't even fathom that the one on the stage was his roommate. It was like a completely different person. Naruto was focused and confident, so sure of himself. He moved with ease on the stage and he looked good up there, like there was no other place he should ever be but in the spotlight. No wonder he practically flew up there to perform. Yet, it was so different than how he'd been with Ino.

That had been Naruto holding back?

For another few minutes, the trio continued to improvise as they jammed, playing off each other. Naruto dropped to his knees for a crazy riff as Gaara played above right above him. Omoi was all over the drums, half-sitting and half-standing. The floor was shaking, and the inside of Sasuke's head was pounding from the sound.

When it all ended, Sasuke thought he'd gone deaf. People were on their feet, clapping and shouting. Gaara held a water bottle over Naruto's head and poured it over him as his roommate laughed and tried to stand. Gaara grinned and dragged him to his feet. Naruto pulled the other man into a half-hug then. Almost reluctantly and reverently, he took the guitar off and put it in the stand. He grabbed a towel and rubbed it over his face and chest then threw it on the ground. Omoi came out from behind the drums and Naruto practically tackled him to the floor.

Everyone at the table was laughing and talking, but Sasuke could only stare for a while before he tried to regain his composure. Some other people got up on the stage, greeting Naruto as they helped Omoi and Gaara with putting away the equipment and moving things around, picking up the trash and towels.

Karui left Sasuke's side to go help. Temari was there, as well, and they bullied Naruto off the stage. Naruto dropped onto the floor, swarmed with people who wanted to talk to him or hug him or clap him on the back. Naruto flattered them all by grinning flirtatiously. When he finally managed his way to the table, he slid in next to Sasuke. He was sweaty and dirty. Sasuke scrunched his nose at the smell.

Naruto gave him a cocky, expectant look and threw his arm behind Sasuke.

Sasuke sniffed. "You stink."

Naruto laughed. "And that's all you have to say to me?"

Sasuke smirked. "After all that, are you really begging a compliment from me?"

"Of course," Naruto said, moving in closer as he smiled.

Sasuke tilted his head toward his roommate. "You rocked."

Naruto's laughter was hard and long. "Thank you. What did you think, Ino?"

Ino leaned in front of Sasuke. "You looked sexier up there than Matthew Bellamy."

Naruto gasped. "Blasphemy! No one looks sexier than him."

"Matthew Bellamy is Naruto's idol," Ino said, rolling her eyes.

"It's true," Naruto said, snagging Sasuke's beer and drinking it down in all of fifteen seconds. He wiped his hand over his mouth and sighed contentedly. "Holy hell I'm hot. It was hot up there. Those lights are intense when they're all on like that. I could barely see three feet in front of me."

Naruto happened to catch Sasuke checking his watch.

"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his left shoulder. The back of his fingers rubbed against Sasuke's arm.

"Almost eleven," Sasuke answered. "I should get going soon."

Naruto looked disappointed. "You're going? Don't go."

"I told you I have to work tomorrow."

"And I told you that you work every day."

Sasuke tried to glare at his roommate for sounding so whiny, but there was something flattering about Naruto wanting him to stick around. Especially when Naruto could have had the attention of anyone.

"Is it 'cause of where we are?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Naruto's put his arm back around Sasuke, squeezing him closer to speak near his ear. "I mean, do you wanna get out of here?"

Sasuke blinked several times before he was able to make any sense out of that sentence. He'd had too much to drink, and that was bad for someone who didn't drink that often. There were e-mails he probably had to answer. He had piles of paperwork to get to and a meeting at 10 a.m.

"You're thinking about it too much. You need to loosen up," Naruto said. He sighed and leaned into Sasuke.

"If you guys want to go out," Ino said, and Sasuke had nearly forgot she'd been there, "I'll make some excuse for you."

Naruto snorted. "We don't need to make excuses. You guys are gonna go to the usual spot, right? Sasuke won't like it there, and if he goes home now, he may never come out again."

Sasuke looked at Ino, awaiting her reaction. Naruto's tone was off, strange. He should reject the offer before something even more uncomfortable happened.

"I don't think you need to be deciding what I will and won't be doing," Sasuke remarked with an edge to his voice.

Ino shifted closer, speaking very quietly in Sasuke's ear so that Naruto wouldn't hear. "It's alright, Sasuke. He's in one of his moods from all that adrenaline. It's either you take him out and keep an eye on him or he'll spend the entire night partying. And when he's like this…"

"Ino. I'm not his baby-sitter."

"He doesn't need one," Ino replied patiently. "Please."

Sasuke sighed, his shoulders rising with the exertion of releasing his breath. "Okay."

He turned his head toward Naruto. "Okay."

Naruto didn't appear as if he'd expected any other answer. "Great," he said. "Let me find a shirt somewhere."

Ino was quiet. Sasuke said nothing more, and he wondered what was going on with him that he had given in so easily to the demands of both her and Naruto. He should've gone directly back to the apartment and been done with it. He didn't owe anyone anything, and this is why he preferred to have a very small circle of _friend_. Namely, Shikamaru. Ironically, the person who had put Sasuke in this position.

Five minutes later, and Naruto was back, wearing a red t-shirt from some band's summer tour three years ago. Though Naruto gave a few quick goodbyes to everyone, his friends seemed surprised that he wasn't going to go out with them for an after party.

Naruto hovered over Sasuke, obviously ready to leave, hands in his pockets as he chewed the corner of his lip.

"I guess we're ready," Sasuke said to Ino and began to stand. He left some money with her for when they figured out how to divide up all the alcohol.

"Have fun," she said. She looked up at Naruto.

"See ya," Naruto said and gave an abrupt wave but started tugging Sasuke on the sleeve until he slapped his roommate's hand out of the way.

Naruto led them through the crowd. They were stopped once or twice, but Naruto was brief with the conversations.

Once they were outside, Naruto stopped in front of the stairs and inhaled sharply.

"God it feels so good to be outta there," he said and stretched his arms toward the sky.

Sasuke watched him, an odd quirk to his lips. He stuck his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "Where are we going, Mr. Anti-Social?"

Naruto had been staring at some people across the street. He turned to Sasuke, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. "It's funny to hear that coming from you." He rubbed his chest, hand moving in quick circles. "I don't know… I just. I needed to get out. Don't you ever feel that way?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

A slow smile spread across Naruto's face. "We're going where I always go when I'm feeling down."

While Sasuke had sensed the abrupt change in mood, he couldn't quite put together from where it had stemmed. He didn't inquire about Naruto's feelings further. He wasn't that type, so he asked: "Isn't it a little late to be visiting a church?"

Naruto's laughter rang loudly in the street. "No, no. I'm surprised you said that." He put a finger to his chin and scratched, thinking.

"So where?" Sasuke had to ask again.

Naruto started to walk as he finally answered, "The tattoo parlor, of course."

Annoyed at having been left behind, Sasuke caught up to his roommate's side and asked: "Are you running away?"

Naruto didn't speak at first. The question had apparently confused him. "Huh? No… It's not like that. I'd never run away from anything, but sometimes two people need a bit of space. Or are you just surprised that I wanna hang out with you?"

Ah. So this _was_ about Ino. He hoped Naruto didn't expect him to be some kind of relationship counselor here.

"Yes," he answered to the second part of the question.

"It's not as if I haven't tried to get you out before," Naruto said as he gazed up at the surrounding buildings and the midnight blue sky. There were no clouds, leaving the multitude of stars exposed. The lights of several planes flashed in the near-distance, having just taken off from La Guardia.

Naruto paused in his step on the sidewalk. Sasuke stopped with him. Naruto removed his wallet and brought out a folded piece of paper.

"Here, take this," he told Sasuke.

Sasuke stared at it suspiciously as if expecting it to contain anthrax. Eventually he took it. When he unfolded it, there was a simple, blocky design done in black and white.

Naruto pointed, finger pressing against the corner of the crumpled paper. "That's what I'm gonna get." He grabbed his left wrist. "Right here. So hold onto it for me, alright?"

Sasuke studied it a little longer and then folded it neatly and securely into his own wallet, wondering why Naruto couldn't hold onto it himself.

They started to walk toward the nearest subway station. The both of them were quiet for some time until Sasuke sighed in resignation.

"You're not going to have me home at a decent time, are you?" he asked.

Naruto bumped into his side, nudging Sasuke's shoulder with his own. "Nope."

Sasuke shook his head, but he was smirking. "I figured."

* * *

**TBC**


	5. making his mark

"I picked up the bird and above the dim I said  
'That's the last song you'll ever sing'  
Held him down, broke his neck  
Taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget

But in my dreams began to creep  
That old familiar tweet, tweet, tweet"_  
-Bird Song, _Florence + the Machine

_**

* * *

**_

Besides themselves, there were only five other people on the subway car. Naruto had been unusually quiet ever since they'd sat down. Sasuke's buzz had started to subside, and he was at a loss for conversation topics. Not that it mattered, nor did he always believe there needed to be constant talking between two people. Comfortable silences were just as good, although this sort of silence wasn't without its tension. His roommate seemed to be brooding over something. Probably whatever had led him to escape and pull Sasuke along for the ride. They were on their way to Brooklyn. Sasuke couldn't even remember the last time he'd _been_ to Brooklyn, so he'd ultimately have to leave it up to Naruto to navigate. That lack of control made him uneasy, and now that he was sobering up, he used the clarity of mind to listen to the doubts berating him for not returning to the apartment immediately, about not being a responsible adult.

Seriously though. What was it about riding the subway that made everyone so lethargic? People always looked as if they were caught in a stupor. They'd be listening to music, pretending to sleep, or staring at the floor like it was about to fall out from under them. Sasuke was one of the latter types. Naruto, however, must've been a rebel because he didn't mind making eye contact with anything or anyone that moved. He was slumped in the seat with his legs spread wide apart, sneakers out in the aisle, ready to trip anyone who dared move in front of them. Unfortunately, he was sitting _right_ next to Sasuke when it would've been more considerate had he left a gap. It was rather stuffy, and Naruto's body heat still seemed unreasonably warm.

"I'm tired," Naruto announced in a cranky voice.

Sasuke looked over at him but said nothing. Naruto had his eyes closed. If he was so tired, why the hell were they heading to Brooklyn to get a tattoo? He'd made a promise to Ino due to a brief lapse in sanity, but wasn't the apartment a safer place to bring Naruto? That way Sasuke could kick him into the bedroom and be done with it.

"_You_ don't feel sorry for me, do you?" Naruto cracked open his eyes. They were surprisingly alert. He must've sensed Sasuke watching him.

Sasuke dabbed his lips with his tongue before speaking. "Of course," he snidely remarked. "Anyone would."

Naruto cast him a glare that expressed just how much he didn't appreciate Sasuke's sense of humor. Apparently, this was his roommate's attempt at being serious, and it was unnerving to say the least.

"I don't know what you mean," Sasuke told him. "If you have something to say, I'd go ahead and say it. I don't like games."

"It's not a game," Naruto replied. "It was an honest question. No need to get defensive about it."

"Well who asks that?" he argued. "You must have had a reason. Why not just say what you want to say directly?"

Naruto sighed, rubbing the side of his head. "Forget it. Anyway, so, uh. We're goin' to my Great Uncle's shop. Maybe I should apologize ahead of time for anything that'll come out his mouth."

"If he's related to you, I'm sure I know what to be prepared for," Sasuke muttered.

"Oh." Naruto crossed his arms, not taking it as an insult. "No. He's not related by blood or anything. But, yeah. I suppose I got my mouth from him. Heh."

"_He_ talks without thinking, _too_?"

"And which one of _your_ family members had the sarcasm?" Naruto asked, distractedly glancing to his other side as some markedly homeless person carrying a paper Starbuck's cup walked in from another car.

Everyone did their best to ignore him as he pandered for change except Naruto, who actually stood up, reached into his pocket and gave the man a couple dollars.

Sasuke had to bite his tongue in order to withhold a nasty retort for the comment concerning his upbringing. Instead, he went with the much more mild yet oh-so-passive-aggressive: "You know, he's not going to spend that on food."

Ignoring the venom in Sasuke's tone completely, Naruto settled into his seat again, and the homeless man carried on his plea to the next car. "I have a theory on giving out money."

"Do you?" Sasuke shifted his leg to stretch it out in front of him, bending it at the knee a couple times. He felt stiff from sitting down the majority of the day.

"Sure." Naruto scratched his right cheek with his ring and pinky finger. "Ever since I was a kid, I got this strange idea in my head. Like, what does more damage? You give a guy a dollar that, yeah, maybe he'll buy some booze, or you pretend he doesn't exist? I dunno. But what if that person goes through life ignored by everyone?"

Sasuke cocked his head to show he was at least listening.

"And then one day, because he gets so fed up with people acting like he doesn't exist, he goes ape-shit? _Completely_ postal. But maybe if at least one person acknowledges his existence, he's less likely to lash out. I mean can you imagine a life like that? You might start going crazy, too, walking around, talking, but everyone acts like you're invisible?"

Naruto gave him a meaningful look; Sasuke chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Now I see where the band name comes from," he mumbled.

Naruto scowled. "You won't take me seriously."

"Believe me. It's hard to sometimes. But you have a valid point however unrealistic."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, but he was also evidently curious. "How is it unrealistic?"

"You really can't presume to think you can save everyone?"

Naruto opened his mouth and closed it. Sasuke could tell that is _exactly_ what he believed. He hadn't met someone that naïve in a long time.

Undeterred by Sasuke's cynicism, his roommate looked him fiercely in the eye. "No. I _know_ I can't save everyone. But I can try. There's no reason not to at least try."

Naruto turned away from him, and they didn't say anything else to one another until they reached their stop in Park Slope.

Once out of the subway and on the sidewalk, the air was humid, and Sasuke could already feel sweat breaking out on his forehead and cheeks. Naruto walked the slightest bit ahead of him. He was like a pouting kid, and Sasuke wondered if he had the patience for it.

"I think I lied to you before," Naruto said suddenly, tone thoughtful as he slowed his pace, waiting for Sasuke to catch up.

Sasuke grunted in a disinterested manner. "Oh?"

"I don't know why I lied about it. I wasn't lying, really, but I was thinking about it while we've been walking. I guess I didn't get my mouth from Jiraiya."

Sasuke glanced to the side to measure Naruto's expression and found it to be one of puzzlement. Likely a case of his brain working too fast for his mouth.

"I was always told I had my mom's temper." Naruto smiled. "She would get pretty excited about stuff. Jiraiya told me sometimes how the way we talked was the same, but I'm not so sure. I don't remember her that well."

Sasuke hunched his shoulders and stuck his hands in his pockets. The homes they walked by were mostly brownstones, residential area, but it started to turn into grocery stores, restaurants, bars.

Sasuke wasn't stupid, he could make assumptions at this point. He could ask what had happened to Naruto's mom, but it was somehow hard to do. He knew the answer. He knew it. Why ask? If Naruto wanted to volunteer it, Sasuke would listen, but he couldn't really expect Sasuke to pry, right?

Not seemingly bothered by Sasuke's apathy, Naruto laughed aloud. Sasuke felt a degree of relief that his roommate had returned to somewhat normal (for him anyway), and it wasn't long before Naruto pointed ahead at a shop called Rebel Tattoos. There were iron bars on the front window, a neon sign attached to the bars, and the hours posted on the door indicated they were still open but would be closing in a half hour.

"Will there be enough time?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto appeared baffled by the question. "Why wouldn't there be?"

"They close at 12.30."

"What time is it now?" Naruto asked even though he had his own watch.

"A little before midnight."

"No, it's cool. C'mon. He'll stay after. It's been a while since we've seen each other what with moving, jobs, the band and stuff."

With a new-found eagerness, Naruto marched up the stairs while Sasuke followed two steps behind, not quite sharing in his enthusiasm. A bell rang above their heads when the door opened; inside the shop, it was cool, clean and bright. There was some exposed ductwork on the ceiling. The walls were a stark white, but there were accents of black and red everywhere. The couch and chairs were made of cherry red vinyl. Sasuke had honestly expected the place to be more of a dump.

Naruto passed him up and went behind the counter and into the part of the room where the velvety black curtains were drawn on the six individual artists' stalls. He knocked on the door at the back of the parlor that read 'Employees Only' without waiting to see if Sasuke had followed. Sasuke hadn't bothered. He went to the posters on the wall displaying all the different tattoos and started to flip through them, methodically studying the images. There were a multitude of designs, but there were also photographs of customers after they'd received their tattoos. Their blotchy skin didn't appeal to Sasuke in any way. There would be no tattoo for him tonight, even if Naruto begged. Unconsciously, he felt over the bump in his back pocket created by his wallet.

On the other side of the door was apparently a dimension leading to a black hole because he glanced up to see Naruto get sucked in, the door shutting behind him with a slam. The loud voices and shouts that proceeded left Sasuke glad he'd been left to himself. Finally.

Reflectively, he paused at a fairly simple tattoo done in black ink on a young Asian woman's back, right below her left shoulder blade. Sasuke pressed his fingers against the plastic that covered the photos. It was just a bird. It had been inked in segmented pieces, its beak open as if in mid-song. Sasuke let his hand fall to his side, turned around, and cast his eyes over the rest of the room just in time to see the door fly open.

An old man with a head of bushy white hair had Naruto in a headlock as he dragged him into the front room.

"I haven't seen you in weeks, and you come to me for what? Because you're drunk and want a tattoo? Is that all I'm good for to you?"

Naruto earnestly struggled to get out of the other man's hold.

"You old pervert, I'm not _that_ drunk. I told you I wanted a new one! You watched me draw the damn thing!"

Jiraiya abruptly let him go, and Naruto stumbled several steps before he was able to regain his balance. The old man noticed Sasuke's presence. He narrowed his eyes, looked Sasuke up and down measuringly, and sneered.

"Shop's closed," he said rudely.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Sasuke's with me," Naruto said. He smiled as he walked to Sasuke and placed an arm around his shoulders. "My new roommate. And you don't close for another half-hour!"

Jiraiya still looked skeptical. "New? What happened to your old one? Did you get kicked out of the apartment?"

"God, why are you so senile!" Naruto shouted, fingers accidentally digging into Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke shoved him off.

"I told you about that, too!" Naruto pointed a finger at the man. "Maybe I shouldn't let you anywhere near me with sharp objects. It's time to put you in the home. What's Sai doing? Have him do it if you're gonna go all Alzheimer's on me."

"Show some respect, you little brat. I didn't raise you to talk to your elders that way!" Jiraiya stalked to the counter, re-arranging papers near the register. He threw an elbow on the counter and glared at the both of them. He glared harder at Sasuke as if he'd been the one to put Naruto up to this, which only reflected on his intelligence because there's no way Sasuke looked like he even _wanted_ to be here.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto went to the other side of the counter to stare off with his Great Uncle. "That's exactly how people talked in the house when I was growing up! You and all your hippie friends!"

"Hey, those hippie friends changed your diaper and wiped your ass! Changed those bed sheets you wet until the age of ten."

Naruto shot an anxious glance over his shoulder at Sasuke. "That's not true! I never wet the bed!" He glared at the old man again. "Stop making up crap and trying to embarrass me!"

Sasuke didn't know exactly how to react to this at first, but at the core of his confusion, he began to feel a hefty amount of amusement.

"I got sent to the principal's office so many times because my clothes all smelled like pot! Do you call that proper parenting?"

The old man laughed heartily, pounding his fist on the counter as if that were the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard. "If people parented more like that, kids today wouldn't be so damn uptight. I hate those kinds of kids that can't take a damn joke!"

Naruto relented and laughed, too. "Yeah. It wasn't so bad."

"And if I hadn't tossed you inside that van when you were 5 and taken you to that Grateful Dead concert, you wouldn't be playing music." Jiraiya scoffed and rubbed hard at his chest. "You'd probably be one of those poor bastards who work so hard that you stroke out over your desk."

Naruto coughed uneasily and shot a knowing look at Sasuke.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Those people have their merits, too," defended his roommate, but the words seemed to lose their conviction when Naruto had simultaneously been muffling his laughter behind a hand.

"So, new roommate, are you also getting a tattoo tonight? You look like a virgin to me. Is he a virgin, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned wildly. "Yeah, I think so. When it comes to tattoos and piercings at least. But no, he's not getting one. I've already forced him to meet everyone from the bands tonight."

"Oh, did you?" Jiraiya looked at Sasuke with a new-found respect. "And what did you think of Naruto's bunch?"

Sasuke took a step forward and cleared his throat. "They seem like good people."

Jiraiya studied him in an assessing manner. "They are. They are good people."

"Sasuke's good people, too," Naruto added.

Sasuke felt a hint of annoyance at the comment. He didn't need anyone to speak for him.

"If you say so," said Jiraiya, still scrutinizing Sasuke closely as if he expected him to pull out a gun and blow them away at any moment. "Then again, you always seem to pick the good apples from the bad. Maybe you can break him in, huh?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched violently. Was that old coot comparing him to a dog?

"Ah, look at that, see! That made him pissy!" Jiraiya shouted.

"Nah. That's his usual expression, facial tics and all." Naruto chuckled and swept his hand through his hair, causing a few pieces of bang to fall across his left eye.

"Wonderful," Jiraiya said, clapping his hands. "So what is it you want again? I'm old and forgetful." As he spoke, he went to the front door, passing Sasuke, and flipped the sign to show the store was closed.

He paused on his way back to stand between Sasuke and Naruto.

Naruto jerked his chin in Sasuke's direction. "Gave it to him so I wouldn't lose it on the way here."

"That was probably a good idea," Jiraiya said, nodding.

Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh. Did he really have to do this? What had he done in this life to deserve this kind of treatment? A moronic blond masochist and an eccentric old man. This was like one of his worst nightmares.

He dug into his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out the folded piece of paper. He offered it to Naruto without sparing it a second glance.

"I didn't know you drew it," Sasuke admitted.

"What, you couldn't tell from the scribbles that resemble a 4-year-old's finger painting?"

"Shut up, Naruto," Jiraiya snapped. "You don't draw anything like a 4-year-old. That'd be an insult to myself." He was studying the design, but then he glanced at Sasuke. "He apprenticed here for a brief while. He could draw anything up on the spot for people who walked in with just an idea in their head. It took him some work to perfect his technique, but he was a pretty fast to catch on."

"It was fun," Naruto replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"I hate when you pull that overly modest shit," Jiraiya muttered. "Okay, I'm gonna take this back and put it on some transfer paper, then we'll get goin', alright? You guys want a beer? Sasuke?"

"I'm fine, thanks," said Sasuke.

Naruto, however, took the old man up on his offer. "Beer for me, yeah. That sounds good."

"I thought you weren't supposed to drink before getting a tattoo," Sasuke asked once Jiraiya left them alone.

"Mah. Yeah. I mean, that's preferable. You can't tattoo a drunk customer. What if they come in the next morning and threaten to sue because they were pissed out of their mind? That's why we have them sign things. But it's good. I have a high tolerance."

"Right."

"Oh Sasuke," Naruto said with sympathy, "You were doing so well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke went over to the posters again, thumbing through them from the opposite side.

"Nothing. I'm glad you came with me. I don't think it'll take too long, so I'm sure I can have you back before two."

"Ah. So now you're being considerate of others?"

"Shut up. You know you're glad you came out tonight. You were probably dying to but needed me to beg, right? It's always the quiet ones that have that sadistic streak." There was humor in Naruto's voice so Sasuke refused to be offended. It would've been too much of a bother for him to rise to Naruto's bait.

"Maybe I just like to see you grovel," he replied.

"That sounds about right. I don't mind so long as it means I get what I want in the end. So what do you think of my Great Uncle?"

Sasuke bit the corner of his lip. "He definitely…is your Great Uncle."

Naruto snickered. "Yeah. Man, living in that house growing up. You wouldn't believe some of the people I met. There were parties all the time. It was pretty fun, but it certainly didn't help me out in the grades department. I suppose that's why I ended up not finishing college, y'know, but it's fine. I was never the academic sort."

"I'm sure."

"Are you sure you don't want one? You're looking pretty intently at those."

Sasuke didn't get the chance to answer as Jiraiya returned, holding a piece of paper that now had the stencil for Naruto's tattoo on it.

"Alright," Jiraiya said. "Let's get this started."

Jiraiya bid them follow to the middle stall on the right of the room and drew back the curtain. "Have a seat. Roll up that sleeve all the way so I can see my previous work. How's it holding up? Do I need to fill it in anywhere?"

Naruto took a seat in a dentist-styled chair and rolled his sleeve up past his shoulder, revealing the donut-shaped tattoo. Jiraiya nodded and made an appreciative noise, clucking his tongue.

"And the one on your side?" Jiraiya barked.

Naruto childishly puffed out his cheeks. "Jeez. Do you want me to just take off my shirt?"

"Not necessary, just lift it up. I don't want to encourage your exhibitionism any more than I already have. It's hard enough to get you to keep your clothes on."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, lifting up his shirt and exposing the long tattoo running over the side of his ribcage. "If I'm that way it's because I grew up in a home where everyone sat around talking about how great it was to be free about love, and whatever else you guys talked about while reminiscing about the 60s."

Jiraiya leaned forward and touched the tattoo in different spots but seemed to think it didn't need any touch-ups.

"Sasuke come here!" Naruto shouted. He took the bottle of Bud Light he'd been brought and held it out. "I need you to open this for me while Jiraiya shaves the hair off my arm."

Sasuke felt some reluctance in being in the stall during the tattooing process. He wasn't squeamish about blood exactly (not that there would be any), but this wasn't the most ideal situation for him either. However, anything that caused Naruto pain couldn't be that bad to take part in. With that in mind, he did go into the stall, grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap off for Naruto. Naruto took it with his right hand and downed a large gulp. He set it aside on the desk. Jiraiya took a seat in another chair. He tugged a small rolling cabinet over. There were a couple tiny cups filled with ink and a package of sterile needles. A few different bottles of something else, some bandaging, a razor.

There was a stool on Naruto's other side. Sasuke sat on that, observing as Jiraiya held Naruto's hand and began to spread rubbing alcohol over the entire area. After that, he grabbed for the disposable razor and began to shave all the hair off of Naruto's forearm. Jiraiya held Naruto by the hand as he washed the skin and disposed of the razor in a nearby garbage bin. When satisfied he'd cleaned it up, he rubbed Naruto's skin again with a damp cloth. Then he wrapped the paper that had the stencil on it around Naruto's wrist. It went about mid-way up Naruto's forearm.

Naruto was still periodically drinking as he watched his Great Uncle work. Jiraiya looked focused, and his fingers moved swiftly. He must have done this thousands and thousands of times.

"So we had a good gig tonight," Naruto said.

"Yeah?" Jiraiya continued to press the paper into Naruto's skin, waiting for the design to transfer.

"I played for Ino. She sang great. Then I went up with Omoi and Karui to do an impromptu song. Gaara played with them, too."

"Sounds fun," Jiraiya said. "Maybe one day I'll make it to these shows. If you'd tell me about them."

"I do! Ow, hey, don't pinch me!"

"You don't tell me," Jiraiya muttered, removing the paper and setting it on the cabinet. He flipped Naruto's wrist around, scrutinizing the outline of the tattoo carefully, making sure it lined up everywhere it was supposed to. "So how was it, Sasuke? Did you enjoy yourself?"

Sasuke had been content to listen to the two of them banter. He, after all, didn't have much to contribute to the conversation.

"It was good," Sasuke replied.

"He's a talker, isn't he?" Jiraiya made fun of him.

"He talks when he has something to say," Naruto said. "I like that."

"You like everybody," Jiraiya corrected. He grabbed the tattooing machine, checking the needle and drawing the cabinet closer. He put some clear ointment all over Naruto's wrist, covering the entirety of the design. "Trust too damn easily, too."

"I'm not gonna apologize for that," Naruto returned under his breath, sounding sore about it. He took another large drink of beer.

"How much is it going to hurt?" Sasuke asked. He was hoping the answer would be 'a lot.'

"It's only going to be a little prick."

The new voice that came unexpectedly from behind him startled Sasuke, though he managed to hide it. Sasuke looked over his shoulder as a slender Japanese man with short jet black hair stood near the curtain, smiling as idiotically as Naruto did sometimes. But the grin wasn't nearly as genuine as Naruto's.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you mean the _tattoo_? Yeah, that'll hurt."

"Sai, you bastard!" Naruto wailed, but he was grinning. "I'll show you a little prick! Once I get out of this chair!"

"Is that so?" Sai kept smiling. He leaned over Sasuke some more in order to pull a face at Naruto.

Sasuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He had to keep himself from shoving the other man away.

"Then you have plans to drop your pants after this?" Sai tapped his finger against his chin, feigning thoughtfulness. "Wait, why am I asking _you_ that? You'll drop your pants for anyone, won't you?"

"Shut up," Naruto growled. "Are you still mad I hooked up with that ex-girlfriend of yours? She was an ex for a reason, y'know. I can't help it if she came begging me to show her what a real man was like. After all, she'd been dating _you_ for six months."

Sasuke wanted to snap both their necks like a couple of noisy chickens. Just when he thought the two of them were about to get into a brawl with each other, both Naruto and Sai broke into laughter at the same time. Apparently used to this, Jiraiya remained unfazed, though he paused to crack a few knuckles. Sasuke grimaced at the loud popping sounds.

"Sasuke, this is my friend Sai. Sai, this is my roommate, Sasuke."

Sasuke glared at Naruto. He raised his eyes to Sai but the most he could manage to offer in the way of a greeting was a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh. I don't think he likes me," Sai said, grinning vapidly at Sasuke. "That's alright. I was just on my way out for the night. You should've asked me to do your tattoo."

"Ha!" Naruto scoffed. "There's no way in hell I'd let you mark my skin!"

"Shut up," Jiraiya scolded, finishing the remainder of the prep with the tattoo machine. He grabbed for Naruto's left hand again and leaned in, pressing the tip of the needle to the skin. "Sai does a better job than you ever did. I wouldn't hire someone who didn't meet the shop's standards."

"Whatever. He may be better at the coloring, but there's no way his customer service is as good as mine." Naruto waggled a finger at Sai. Sai reached over Sasuke again and grabbed for it.

"You should be careful what you waggle at a person." Sai smirked, and Naruto laughed loudly.

"Cock tease," Naruto said with a teasing grin, removing his finger from the grip Sai had on him.

"Call me some time. We don't hang out nearly enough anymore," Sai said. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke."

Sasuke grunted in answer, eyes on the needle as it began to penetrate Naruto's skin, smearing black ink. Jiraiya was hunched over, carefully covering the linework in very slow-moving strokes.

"See ya, Sai."

Thankfully, Sai left, the bells jingling when the door shut.

"Hold on a sec." Jiraiya huffed and groaned as he stood. He set the tattooing machine aside on the cabinet and removed his gloves. "I gotta go re-lock the door. Need to give that kid a set of keys."

"You really trust him that much?" Naruto asked incredulously.

He didn't get a response.

When Jiraiya went to lock the door, Naruto brought his wrist near his face, examining the work that had been done already. Sasuke checked it out, too. The linework looked good so far, and he assumed the space between the lines would be filled in as well. At least, that's how he remembered it appearing on the original design.

"What did you think of him?" Naruto asked, eyebrows raised in expectation. He looked amused, as if he knew very well that something about Sai inherently made Sasuke's skin crawl.

"You really do like everybody is what I think," Sasuke answered.

"That's what I say," Jiraiya mumbled as he returned and snapped on a fresh pair of gloves. He blinked when he saw Naruto and Sasuke together. Sasuke had drawn himself nearer to Naruto's chair and was staring at the tattoo. Naruto glanced up and caught Jiraiya's eye.

"Say, Sasuke," Naruto said. Sasuke raised his eyes from the tattoo. "Do you have any experience with drawing or tracing?"

Sasuke looked at him suspiciously. "I took some drawing classes in school, yes. Art was a mandatory part of the curriculum."

"Figures," Naruto breathed, rolling his eyes.

Jiraiya sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "Naruto."

"What?" Naruto asked innocently. "I trust him."

"Trust me to what?" Sasuke asked. He straightened on the stool.

"Show him how," Naruto said. "He's a quick learner, I'm sure. He can do it."

"Only for a little while, then I'll take over."

"Well, duh," Naruto said.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked. "Naruto, what are you talking about?"

Naruto's eyes went to him and he leaned over the chair's armrest and into Sasuke's personal space. The smirk on Naruto's face grew larger.

"I want you to do some of the linework."

"No. Absolutely not."

"It's not hard, kid," Jiraiya said. "Now take a seat, I'd like to get out of here sooner rather than later, and look at it this way, you get to inflict some pain on this idiot here. I'm sure he's been buggin' you since he moved in, so now's your chance."

As enticing as that sounded, Sasuke's entire being was against it. He didn't like touching for one, and he had no experience in doing anything like this, especially not on human skin. He was sober enough, sure, but no. What Sasuke was good at, he would do, but he didn't want to be made a fool of by attempting something he had no knowledge about.

"You're thinking too much." Naruto frowned, eyes scanning Sasuke's face. "Jiraiya will guide you. Just sit in the goddam seat and start inking me, dammit. The sooner you do it, the sooner you can crawl into your bed and dream about going to work in a few hours."

"Are you calling me a coward? You think I won't do it?"

"I think you could if you'd stop being so uptight about it," Naruto retorted.

"Fine. Don't regret it if I fuck up your arm then. You're the one who has to live with it," Sasuke said nastily. "Then what will you do for a career, flip burgers the rest of your life?"

"What an interesting friendship you two have," Jiraiya told them, sounding entertained.

Sasuke shot the both of them one last glare before switching seats and getting comfortable. Naruto had already lowered his arm on the rest, his hand dangling off he end. Jiraiya remained at Sasuke's side.

"Okay, you hold the tip to just above the line, so if the ink starts to bleed it's at least in the right spot. We're not filling it in yet, so it's basically tracing, alright? I'll hold your hand for a little while and guide you until you think you have the hang of it. You don't have to worry about anything but linework, I'll do the rest."

Sasuke nodded. Without hesitation, he grabbed for Naruto's fingers, squeezing them together as he'd seen Jiraiya do. Naruto's fingers were warm and sweaty in his.

"Oh, such a gentle touch!" Naruto teased, waggling his eyebrows. "I'm not gonna break, don't worry."

Sasuke looked up at him and glared, trying to keep his hand from trembling. He took hold of the tattooing machine's handle as Jiraiya held it out for him. It vibrated against his hand, buzzing noisily.

Jiraiya moved Sasuke's hand forward. The proximity was annoying, but Sasuke preferred that rather than to make a mistake. Jiraiya leaned against him and held his wrist accordingly, showing Sasuke where to start.

Sasuke lowered the needle, inhaling deeply through his nose without realizing it.

"You have to press a little harder than that. It hurts for a reason," Jiraiya instructed.

Sasuke pressed it in harder, but he nearly stopped when Naruto grimaced.

"It's fine," Naruto said, waving his other hand. "It only sucks for the first five minutes or so."

Sasuke nodded and continued. Jiraiya did most of the guiding, moving Sasuke's hand as if he were doing the work himself and only using Sasuke as a prop.

"So focused," Naruto said, snickering. "Your eyebrows are all drawn together. Makes you look constipated, Sasuke."

"Shut up and let me work," Sasuke snapped.

"You're doing a good job," Jiraiya told him. "Don't listen to him. In fact, I think I can let you go at it."

Jiraiya did just that.

He let Sasuke go, but by then it didn't matter. Sasuke was in a zone of sorts. He leaned in, the grip he had on Naruto's fingers loosening as he grabbed him higher on the hand to keep the machine moving steadily over the skin, which was still a bit slick from the ointment Jiraiya had put on earlier. Sasuke traced the different lines. They were done in a strange zigzag pattern. But it was simple and easy to follow thanks to the stencil. Sasuke liked these types of activities, the ones that required nothing more than focus and patience. It was almost relaxing, like yoga, but he got to use sharp needles on his roommate.

Naruto was humming softly as he watched Sasuke work. Sasuke could feel his roommate's eyes on him, but it didn't hurt his concentration any. He pressed his thumb into the soft skin of Naruto's palm as he rotated his roommate's wrist. Every once in a while, Jiraiya instructed him to stop and clear off the needle to reapply more of the black ink.

Twenty-five minutes must have passed with Sasuke finishing the rest of the tattoo's outline. When he looked up, Naruto was grinning stupidly at him.

"Good work." Jiraiya told him. "I'll take over from here. I use another machine for the filling in and shading."

Sasuke gazed down at Naruto's wrist again, looking over his work critically. He didn't think he'd done that bad of a job. He looked at Naruto, feeling accomplished. He wondered if it showed on his face.

"It's cool isn't it?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke didn't get the impression he was talking about the actual linework.

Sasuke nodded, trying to keep any certain emotion from his voice. "Yeah. It's cool."

He stood up and let Jiraiya have his seat back. Sasuke switched to the stool and watched as Jiraiya filled in the tattoo. He worked much more quickly and efficiently than Sasuke, but that was to be expected.

"I can't believe I actually got you to do that," Naruto remarked, wonder evident in his voice.

That had been about the fifth or sixth time he said that since Sasuke had finished.

"I think I'm done here," Jiraiya announced. "Tell me what you think."

Naruto looked it over thoroughly. "Looks good to me."

Jiraiya rubbed some more ointment over the tattoo that he said would help with the scarring. He applied a bandage and taped it up until it covered the whole design.

"That's kinda funny. Everyone's gonna think I tried to do myself in," Naruto said as he started to stand up from the chair.

Sasuke didn't see how it would be funny, especially since Naruto was on his watch.

Jiraiya grunted in response as he busied himself with cleaning up his station. He tossed the gloves they'd used into the trash and picked up the three empty bottles of beer Naruto managed to drink in the last 45 minutes "You know the spiel about aftercare. Make sure you take proper care of it or I'm gonna have to disown you."

"I know, I know," Naruto said. "I love it. Thanks for doing it." He turned to Sasuke with glassy, tired eyes. "Thanks to you, too."

"You don't have to thank me," he said. "I didn't do much of anything."

"Not true. It's like I get to carry a piece of you around with me."

Jiraiya snorted at what Naruto said. "That's pretty damn sappy. Go home. I don't want you doin' anything that may get that nice piece of work infected."

"Oh, I should've let you take a picture!"

Jiraiya waved Naruto off. "It's fine."

"Sasuke." Jiraiya came to him and held his hand out. Sasuke shook it. "It was good to meet you. You may be one of those good apples after all."

"And you call me sappy?" Naruto accused as he fussed with his bandage and adjusted the tape on it. He grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket and handed Jiraiya several twenties.

Jiraiya accepted it without counting. "Pleasure doin' business with ya."

"You'd think you'd give family a discount!" Naruto muttered as he hugged his Great Uncle with one arm.

"What makes you think that?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, smiling as he stuffed the wad of cash into the pocket of his vest.

"No idea actually. Alright, thanks again, old dude. We have a show on Saturday, but I know you're gonna forget anyway."

"Probably," Jiraiya said. "But thanks for letting me know. Now get outta here, so I can close up."

"That's our cue," he said to Sasuke and glanced at his watch. "I'm getting you home even earlier than I thought! Aren't you lucky?"

"Yes," Sasuke drawled as they left the shop. "I feel like I'm ready to shit a wishing star."

"What?" Naruto laughed.

"I don't know," Sasuke said. "I'm tired. I don't know what I'm saying anymore."

"Alright. There's no place like home."

* * *

When they arrived at the apartment, they went their separate ways. Naruto said he was going to take a shower and Sasuke had watched him with interest as he cut up a plastic Target bag so he could use it to wrap around the bandaging.

Out of his own shower some fifteen minutes later, Sasuke felt restless. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, which probably meant he'd wake up in a few hours and have to pee. On his way back to his bedroom, he noticed the light on underneath Naruto's door. He hesitated at first, but then decided to knock. He thought maybe he should check up on the tattoo. He didn't want Naruto doing something stupid and ruining all his hard work.

Naruto opened the door, somewhat surprised to see him apparently.

"Hey," he said, toweling off his hair. Water was dripping down his neck, shoulders, and bare chest. "How was your shower?"

"Wet," Sasuke answered. "How's the tattoo?"

Naruto chuckled and presented his wrist proudly. "It's still there, I think. Did you come to check up on me?"

Sasuke scoffed as he leaned against the doorframe, looking past Naruto and into his room. The guitar was laid out on the end of his bed.

Naruto turned around to see what Sasuke'd been looking at. He grabbed the guitar and carefully placed it in the stand. He came around again and sat on the side of the bed, grinning up at Sasuke.

"Your eyes are glossy," Sasuke observed.

"Yeah, that shower didn't sober me up as much as I thought it would." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and started yanking at the covers. "I'm gonna go to bed though, don't worry. Gotta work tomorrow afternoon."

Sasuke nodded, watching his roommate as he crawled into bed.

"Is that going to mess up your playing?" Sasuke asked, taking a step into the room.

Naruto stacked his pillows and punched them a couple times. "Nah. It'll heal pretty quickly. I've always been a fast healer, which is good, because I was pretty clumsy as a kid."

Before he knew it, Sasuke was only a couple feet from the bed, arms at his sides. Naruto was staring down at his own chest. He was wearing a necklace and toying with the ring hanging from the chain.

Naruto looked up at him. "You know. I had a stutter when I was little, and the kids used to make fun of me."

Sasuke blinked several times. "Why are you telling me this?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just wanted to. Plus maybe you'd get a kick out of hearing I got bullied as a kid."

"Do you think I take pleasure in other people's pain, Naruto?" Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, frowning.

"I don't think so, no. You didn't have a crazy grin on your face as you were jabbing that needle into my skin. I'd say you were doing your best not to hurt me."

Sasuke gave him an odd look.

Naruto pulled the sheet to above his waist, turning more onto his side as he propped himself up on an elbow. "Now that you've met all the family I have, I guess you've been Christened."

Unexpectedly, Sasuke laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "You're not going to break a wine bottle over my head are you?

"Nah." Naruto rolled onto his back, smiling. "I wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"I'm going to start thinking you're an alcoholic."

"Well I'm not," Naruto defended, rubbing his fingers along his hairline. His hair was still damp and clinging to his cheeks and forehead.

"Oh?"

"I just get thirsty," Naruto's eyes got wide with concern. "Hey, did you eat dinner before you came to the show?"

Sasuke's frown deepened. "Yes. I'm a big boy. I know how to make my own food."

Naruto looked like he didn't believe him. "What did you have?"

Sasuke sighed. Since the conversation refused to die, he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Stop worrying about me, idiot. It's annoying."

"Someone has to," Naruto said quickly.

Sasuke was staring at the bedroom door. "Who worries about you?"

"Pfft. I can take care of myself!"

Sasuke glanced at him over his shoulder, eyeing his roommate with pity. "You're a walking contradiction."

"_So_?"

Sasuke sighed. "So nothing. Are you sure your arm doesn't hurt? Do you need Tylenol? I'm unfamiliar with how this works."

Naruto lifted himself up and offered his left arm, wiggling it. "It's fine, see. Still there."

Sasuke twisted around to take a better look. There was no way Naruto could take the bandage off, but he was curious. When they had been at the shop, Sasuke had taken special care to bury the fact Naruto had refused Sai's help only to turn around and ask Sasuke for his, but now that he could see the fruit of his labor, he felt sort of proud. Carefully, Sasuke grabbed hold of his roommate's wrist and turned the arm this way and that. He didn't know what he expected to see, but he could visualize every line under the bandaging.

Sasuke dropped Naruto's arm after a moment. When he looked down at Naruto, his roommate was grinning at him as if he'd just pulled off the world's greatest prank.

Naruto poked him in the chest. "I want to reconcile the violence in your heart." He poked him again, and Sasuke scowled. "I want to exorcise the demons from your past."

"What's that about?" Sasuke growled. "And stop poking me."

"Just a song," Naruto mused. His expression became a bit somber. "I feel bad about leaving like that. I should call Ino."

"I think she understands," Sasuke said, wondering just when he'd learned how to do 'comfort.'

"I freaked. I dunno. I felt like I had to get out of there or I would've snapped."

"I know," Sasuke said.

"But I don't wanna be that person. I wanna be able to hold it together at all times."

Sasuke frowned at him and turned around, showing Naruto his back. "No wonder you'd snap if all you ever do is pretend nothing bothers you. It's not like you hid it very well. Your friends were obviously worried about you."

"I know," Naruto replied in a soft voice. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned his head. "Hm?"

"I'm _really_ happy you decided to come out. Like _really_, _really_ happy. I hope even though I dragged you with me when I was gettin' pissy, you'll still come out with us again."

He wanted to slap Naruto for being so overly emotional and sentimental. Reluctantly, he admitted what had been quite clear all night long. "I appreciate the fact you were attempting to get me to step outside my comfort zone."

"You noticed, eh?" Naruto said. "I knew you were a smart guy. I thought it was a good time."

"Even though the night led to self-mutilation?" Sasuke asked, tugging at the sheet absently.

Naruto's expression softened, and he nodded. "That's right, and _who_ did that?"

He lifted his arm and wriggled it in front of Sasuke.

With an exaggerated amount of distress in his voice, he looked at Sasuke accusingly. "You mutilated me, Sasuke. Look at me. I'm mutilated."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Naruto laughed at himself. "Nothing. Ah, see. And I _did_ end up with someone in my bed at the end of the night again. Maybe what everyone keeps saying about me _is_ true."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "There's no point in worrying about what other people say. I already know you're not the type. We're the same in that regard. Besides, I don't think me sitting here is what you had in mind."

Naruto's eyes went bright. He laughed, hand moving to rub at his chest and sliding down the tattoo on his left side.

"Don't give me that look. It's not going to happen." Sasuke smirked, annoyed and surprised at how comfortable this felt. Talking to Naruto. "And take care of your wrist. Maybe elevate it or something, I don't know. I'm not a doctor."

Naruto's grin became wider, and Sasuke found he wanted to smother him with a pillow so he wouldn't have to see him make that face.

"What?" Sasuke asked irritably as he stood up, ready to get to bed.

"Nothing," Naruto answered. He rested his forearm above his eyes and yawned.

"It's not like I care," Sasuke told him, conveniently looking somewhere else, at the guitar in its stand. "If it falls off in the morning, don't come knocking on my door looking for sympathy."

Naruto snickered. "I'm glad I'd still have at least _one_ hand to knock with. Don't even get me started on how it'd damage my masturbating techniques."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "Don't worry. I won't." He moved into the doorway and flipped off the lights without being asked to. "Goodnight, Naruto."

"Night, Sasuke."

Gently, he shut the door behind him.

* * *

**TBC**


	6. My little cup brims with tiddles

"Trying to account for the troubles you've found  
Hey, could you use a little help to be honest with yourself?  
See it tear you up, and it calls your bluff  
When the lie that keeps you warm, is the truth you're counting on"_  
Bluff, _Pilot Speed

* * *

Sasuke flipped the newspaper page, scanning the world news section. Every once in a while, he reached for his latte, ignoring the blue eyes that tried to catch his attention the instant he would glance across the table.

"You're not a very good date, y'know," Naruto grumbled. He snatched the corner of the page and folded it down to peek at Sasuke.

Sasuke glared at him. "We're not on a date. We came for brunch. I finished my eggs. You finish your sandwich, then we go home. That was the deal."

"No," Naruto said firmly. "I'm not leaving here until I have dessert, too. You don't come to Café Lalo and not have dessert. I mean, did you see everything on that counter over there?"

As if Sasuke couldn't clearly see it from his position as he was nearly facing it, Naruto turned in the chair and pointed at a large glass display case filled with cakes, pies, and other confectionery items.

"I'm not interested in any of that," Sasuke said and returned to reading about a road-side bomb that went off outside Kabul, killing 2 and wounding several others.

"Fine. I'm going to check it out then," Naruto huffed as he stood up from the chair.

Sasuke's gaze flickered to his roommate. He smirked. While there could only be a couple benefits to living with someone like Naruto, one of them happened to be that his roommate was _extremely_ easy to rile. All Sasuke had to do was be a bit of a jerk (something he had a lot of practice at), and Naruto would huff and flail. It amused him. It was better than watching the desperation and embarrassment on a parent's face when their child throws a fit in the middle of a store when not given what they want.

"In case you were wondering," Naruto said as he dropped into his seat, Sasuke barely paying him any attention, "I'm gonna get the raspberry chocolate velvet cake."

"Fascinating."

Sasuke was glad he had the paper up to hide the small smile he'd just cracked.

Naruto tugged the edge of the page down again, and Sasuke was quick to change his expression into a perfect mask of indifference.

"I know you're just messin' with me, you bastard." Naruto grinned. "But I don't care. If it entertains you, then that's fine. But you really are missing out if you don't try something."

Sasuke sighed and folded up the paper. "Fine. What should I try?"

"Well what do you like?" Naruto asked, setting an elbow on the table.

"Hm." Sasuke placed his hand on the edge of the table. "I'm not a huge fan of sweets usually."

"Well they have more than cake. There's ice cream, sorbet, pie, tarts, canolis, cheesecake, cupcakes. _Oh!_" Naruto edged forward on his seat, looking excited. "Speaking of, we should go to Magnolia Cupcakes sometime. Preferably the one by us, the other near 5th is a bit of a tourist trap."

"I've been before," Sasuke replied. "It's nothing too exciting."

Naruto groaned. "How can you _say_ that? I could live on their frosting alone!"

Sasuke smirked. "Then you'd be too fat to perform on stage. What would your fangirls say?"

"And here I thought they loved me for my music!" Naruto's laugh was gentle as he rubbed his stomach. "It's true though. I'm gonna have to go work out after this."

Alicia, their waitress, came by with Naruto's slice of cake.

"Thanks," Naruto told her with a huge grin that had Sasuke rolling his eyes. "My friend over here is thinkin' of getting something as well, but he's not sure what he'd like to have. Do you have any suggestions?"

Alicia appeared skeptical at first with the way her dark eyebrows knit together, but when Naruto's charming smile ceased to fade, she must have sensed it wasn't any kind of trap (which showed just how very naïve she was as Sasuke had already become accustomed to Naruto's flirting tactics).

"Well," she said, pressing her pen against her lips, tapping it a couple times.

"He doesn't want anything too sweet," Naruto added.

"I see," Alicia said. "How about pie then? We have a really good apple or cherry pie, and you could get it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's made with fresh fruit and the crust is handmade."

Sasuke looked at her, looked at Naruto, then tilted his head. It seemed he had no choice in the matter.

"How about blueberry?" he asked. "No ice cream."

"Sure, I can do that," Alicia said and bounced off to another table.

"Blueberry, huh?" Naruto cocked his head. "Never woulda pegged you for a blueberry kind of guy."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended." Sasuke brushed stray crumbs off the side of their table.

"Me either," Naruto replied with a shrug.

"How's yours?"

"I haven't had any yet! I was busy trying to get you to order something!"

"Well when you get a chance, let me know how it is." Sasuke smirked again. He did that even more than usual these days.

"Uh-huh, yeah," Naruto said as he dug in to the giant-sized piece with his fork. It melted right through the moist center. "I'm sure you're very interested to know what I think."

Sasuke watched his roommate take the first bite. Naruto closed his eyes and made a noise of appreciation as he licked chocolate frosting from his lips.

"So good. This might be better than sex."

"Well, you're the connoisseur of both, so you would know."

Naruto chuckled. "It _is_ a toss up. I wonder if I know more about sex or food?"

Sasuke glanced up, just in time to see two people (obviously related) come to stand behind Naruto's chair.

"I've been wondering that same thing for a while now," said the man. He had long, dark hair and as he bent forward, it fell across Naruto's shoulder like a silk napkin.

Naruto jumped at the unexpected voice, his fork rattling as he dropped it onto the plate.

"Jesus, Neji. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The man straightened himself out, grinning in a very smug manner. The woman he was with watched shyly from behind him. Naruto got to his feet and hauled the other man into a long hug, patting him several times on the back. Naruto whispered something into his friend's ear and when they parted, they were both smiling.

"Hey Hinata!"

The woman looked startled as Naruto dragged _her_ into a looser hug than he'd given the other. Her round cheeks flushed red, but she was smiling and nodding her head at something Naruto told her.

"Neji, this is my new roommate, Sasuke."

There wasn't a whole lot of room for Sasuke to stand (not that he would have) so he merely nodded his head in greeting.

"My replacement. I see," Neji remarked.

Naruto threw an arm around Neji. "Nah. It's temporary. Besides, no one could replace you. You're the only one who ever managed to live with me three years straight. By the way, how are you and-?"

Neji waved his hand. "We're fine. The apartment's fine. Though you're always welcome any time to come and visit. How's Ino?"

Naruto laughed. "Changing the subject already, eh? We'll talk about it later. Ino's fine. Had a gig last night. She and I hung out after with the rest of the bunch."

"What's this?" Neji grabbed Naruto's hand and scrutinized the bandaging around his wrist.

"New tattoo. I had Jiraiya do it." He turned to Sasuke for the first time since he'd begun talking to Neji. "And Sasuke helped do the linework. It turned out pretty cool."

Neji shook his head. "Well I'm glad we ran into you. Hinata's in town for a few weeks, and I wanted to bring her here for brunch."

"Same here. I wanted Sasuke to try it, too. He'd never been." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, still smiling brilliantly. Hinata was peering around the room, looking uncomfortable.

Alicia brought Sasuke his slice of pie.

"Hey, is it okay if they have the table next to us?" Naruto asked the waitress. "Please."

"Oh sure, go right ahead. I'll bring you some menus."

"Y-you don't have to do that," Hinata said to Naruto, looking almost scandalized.

"No, it's cool. It'd be good to catch up."

"Thank you." Hinata blushed an even deeper shade of red, but it was surprising Sasuke how uninterested Naruto seemed in pursuing her interest in him. But maybe that had to do with Neji being around.

As if reading his mind, Naruto answered the question Sasuke had only just been thinking about their familial relationship.

"Neji and Hinata are cousins. Hinata's a pretty famous fashion designer around here. She used to slum around with all of us, but she got a job offer in Paris. Isn't that awesome?"

"Very," Sasuke answered. "Congratulations."

Neji and Hinata took their seats at the small table beside them.

"You're embarrassing her," Neji murmured.

"Oh am I?" Naruto put a hand on Hinata's shoulder in apology. "There's no reason to be embarrassed. I remember how late you'd stay up and sketch." He removed his hand and sat down in his chair. Neji sat in the seat closest to Sasuke.

"Yes. You were always n-nice enough to let me use your room as a studio."

"Well, I was hardly ever there, so it woulda been a waste for you to have to rent your own when I was always having to commute to Gaara's for practices. I feel like I've spent more time on the LIE than I have the subway."

Neji turned to address Sasuke. "There were times I thought he'd been mugged and shot, lying in an alley somewhere. It was hard to ever keep track of him. Is he still like that?"

"He usually comes home to sleep," Sasuke answered. He considered adding 'with someone' but decided against it. He wanted to reserve his wit for people he could truly bother with it. Say, someone like his roommate. Neji, on the other hand, appeared a lot sharper than Naruto so curt, impersonal answers were probably best for an introductory meeting.

"Not alone, I'm sure," Neji commented discretely, voice low but filled with a glimmer of humor.

Ah, okay. So Neji got there first.

As Naruto and Hinata fell into their own private conversation, Alicia slipped in to provide two menus. Neji picked his up.

"I've met Ino. And Gaara. Aside from that, no one else has been over to the apartment."

"I see," Neji replied without raising his eyes. "I also met Ino and Gaara when Naruto became my roommate. They're both good people. Though it took me longer to get used to Gaara's visits."

"I think I can empathize," Sasuke muttered.

"But Ino is wonderful. I always enjoyed when she'd come over. Naruto hardly ever sits still, but when she was there, he was able to be more calm. But it seems he's a lot more busy than he ever was back then."

"I wouldn't know."

Neji looked at him inquisitively, eyebrow raised. "Are you two getting along? I remember Naruto being a bit of a nuisance at first. Or at least I thought so."

"Hey, stop talking about me as if I'm not right here! Although I'd like to hear the answer to that question," Naruto said, pointing a fork at Sasuke.

"Do you always make a habit of eavesdropping on others' conversations?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe. Are you gonna eat that pie or can I have it?"

Sasuke glared. "Touch it and die."

"Then eat it!"

"We were trying to have a conversation," Neji said to Naruto. His voice wasn't scolding; it was affectionate.

Naruto leaned over the table corner. "You miss me, don't you? Even though your girlfriend moved in. You miss me. We had something between us, didn't we?"

Amused, Neji shook his head as he primly set a napkin on his lap. "Even if that were true, I would've had to have joined the line, and I'm far too impatient for that."

"Oh shut up! You're gonna give Hinata the wrong idea." He grinned at her, and she lowered her head.

She blushed so much it was beginning to make Sasuke ill.

"Besides. I woulda always made time for you. I think I had a crush on you when I first moved in. I thought you were a chick!"

Sasuke nearly choked on his pie, and Naruto laughed at him even as Sasuke sent him a glare.

"Well, we met through mutual friends, but I only knew a name, and when I first saw him, he was talking to someone, his back to me. And with that long, pretty dark hair, I thought to myself 'Shit, we're gonna have to have boundaries.'"

"You're still an idiot, I see." Neji paused to order for both he and Hinata. "And I can't even imagine you ever considering 'boundaries' about anything."

"What?" Naruto shrugged, playing innocent. "So I think you're pretty. I love dark hair, too."

At this, Hinata blushed again. Perhaps Sasuke was the only one to notice, but the young woman actually turned her face to the side so that no one else would see.

Sasuke continued to study her as he spoke with sarcasm. "I thought you were into blonds."

"I like a wide variety of hair colors," Naruto answered, shooting Sasuke a strange look.

"I'm sure," Sasuke said. He went back to eating his pie as he'd had enough of these sorts of conversations. So Naruto was a man-whore. Did _every_ conversation have to revolve around that fact?

"The band is doing well?" Neji asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"The band is great!" Naruto answered enthusiastically. "The show last night was alright. We were, like, the opening band for the opening band, so there weren't as many people, but it was good. And we got to hang out with the other bands afterward."

"How's Karui? Is she well?"

Naruto cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. "She's fine."

Sasuke raised a brow at this reaction.

"Neji and Karui dated very briefly," Naruto explained, which surprised Sasuke somewhat, especially because he was under the impression Naruto had 'dated' her as well.

"Ah." He decided to refrain from commenting on what a mismatch that sounded to him and tried to finish the last of his pie. It was surprisingly delicious, bordering on nostalgic.

"Very," Neji repeated.

Naruto chuckled and attempted to hide it with his hand. "Aw, she liked you a lot, y'know. She still asks if I've seen you around, which, of course, I haven't!"

"That's more your schedule than mine," Neji responded without malice.

"Probably. Sorry about that. We should get together soon. Maybe Wednesday? I'm free if you wanna do dinner."

"Of course."

Naruto shifted his attention to the silent Hinata. She had her hands in her lap, balling up her napkin and fidgeting in her seat. Was Naruto that oblivious to the girl's obvious feelings or was it out of respect for Neji that he didn't say anything that could be construed as flirting?

"You should come, too, Hinata! It'd be like a date. But with three of us."

"Oh, u-um. I'd like that very much, but I have meetings with a couple modeling agencies, and several interviews that night."

"That sucks. Maybe another time. We should definitely get together before you leave."

"O-okay. I'd really like that."

_I bet she would_, Sasuke thought. Too bad. She was pretty cute. A bit timid, but cute. Physically, she was the complete opposite of Ino. Far more curvy, more pale. Still nice though, but Sasuke could tell Naruto probably needed to be with someone who had the energy to keep up. Hinata might get lost in the undertow. Sasuke wondered if Naruto thought the same, and as she seemed to be a good person, he might not have wanted to hurt her feelings.

And why was he trying to analyze anyone's love life when he hadn't had one of his own for a very long time? If ever.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked him suddenly.

He must've shaken his head without realizing it. Neji and Hinata were both looking at him, too.

"Nothing."

"How was the pie? Should we come here again?" Naruto asked.

"It was good. Better than I expected. My mother used to bake pies when I was younger."

"Did she? Did she grow her own fruit and everything?"

Sasuke nodded. "She did. But I don't think she's made any for a long time."

"That's awesome. No one in my house could bake. They just _got_ baked."

Sasuke accidentally laughed. Naruto grinned proudly.

"You think I'm funny," Naruto stated quietly, then more loudly: "You ready?"

"If you are. Don't end your conversation on my account," Sasuke said. "Sounds like you haven't seen your friends in a while."

Naruto looked at Neji and Hinata as he leaned back in his chair. "Ah, you guys probably came in the hopes of having a nice, private lunch or somethin'. I don't wanna interrupt. We can meet up some other time."

"Actually, after this, we were thinking of going to the museum, and then to the park. You should join us if you can find the time."

"Hmph." Naruto scowled, offended. "You guys act like it's impossible for me to make the time to hang out with friends. My schedule's not _that_ nuts! Do you wanna go, Sasuke?"

Surprised, Sasuke glanced at him, and then the other two. It felt to him to be an obligatory invitation so it was very easy to refuse it.

"No. I have work to do, but I think I can find my own way back home if you want to join them."

Naruto pouted. "Are you sure? I thought we were gonna bond some more today." He shook his wrist at Sasuke. "We're bonded now because of this. There's no escaping it."

"Right."

Neji laughed, and Sasuke half-glared at him. Maybe had he and Neji known each other sooner, they could have gotten along together very well. They both could've teamed up on Naruto, making fun of him and teasing him until he had a nervous breakdown.

Another time perhaps.

Sasuke got up and squeezed his way through the table next to theirs. "I'll grab the bill on the way out."

Naruto's reaction was immediate. "You don't have to do that!"

"I know. I expect you to pay me back," Sasuke said, smirking as he bowed his head as a way of goodbye. "Hinata. Neji. Nice to meet you."

Neji nodded.

"Nice to meet you, too, Sasuke," Hinata said softly. She brushed her bangs to the side nervously.

As Sasuke walked behind Naruto, he ruffled his hair. He was in a decent mood, so why not. He thought he felt eyes on his back as he made his way to the register and paid in cash, but he didn't bother to look behind in order to check. With brunch over and nothing on today's agenda, he left the threesome to catch up with one another while he anticipated an afternoon of catching up on some work.

* * *

By about 9 o'clock, Sasuke had made a decent dinner, loaded the dishwasher, done some laundry, showered, finished a chunk of work that would make this week easier for him, and now he was lying in bed, relaxing with book in hand.

After reading a line and rolling it over in his mind, his gaze drifted above the page, staring nowhere in particular.

_He broke my heart. You merely broke my life_.  
_He broke my heart. You merely broke my life_.

Growing tired, Sasuke contemplated the difference, wondering why parts of him resonated with the meaning while his brain brooded over the fact it really shouldn't. Luckily, his time to think about things he'd rather not was cut short when he heard the front door open. A moment later, Naruto padded down the hallway. Sasuke had left his door cracked, so, of course, his roommate felt inclined to peer inside.

"You're still up." Naruto pushed the door open further and leaned against the doorframe, wild blond hair framing his face. "What're you doing?"

"I _was_ reading." Sasuke saved his place before shutting the book and setting it on the bedside table.

"I suppose you're not gonna tell me what it is."

Sasuke looked at his roommate blandly. "How was the museum?"

"Same as always," Naruto replied, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his head against the wall. "I've been there so many times I've lost count. The park was good, too. Hinata wanted to go to the zoo, so we did that, and then I forced Neji to get on the carousel."

Sasuke rubbed the back of his knuckles over his forehead and crossed his legs at the ankles. "I'm sure he was thrilled you made him do that."

"Aw. Neji's a good sport. At this point, it's hard to embarrass him since I've been putting him through that kinda crap for so long it hardly fazes him."

"What a true friend you are," Sasuke replied.

Naruto shifted his weight to the other leg and lowered his gaze to the floor. He tugged at the front of his green shirt absent-mindedly and glanced up again. Sasuke thought he might have something on his mind but didn't feel too inclined to ask.

"You look tired," Naruto said. "What did you do tonight? You ate I hope. Smells like you did anyway. What did you cook?"

"Fish," Sasuke answered plainly. "Why do I look tired?"

Naruto hummed, gaze sweeping toward the attached bath. He shrugged his right shoulder.

"You're more quiet than normal tonight," Sasuke ventured, and Naruto's eyes immediately snapped to him. His roommate offered a half smile.

"I guess I'm tired, too. Long weekend."

"That's what you get when you're living the life of a rock star," Sasuke said.

"You know, I hope you didn't feel like you woulda been intruding had you come along with us today."

Sasuke blinked at first. He sat up in bed, crossing his legs underneath him, keeping his expression neutral.

"I had work to do," he answered.

"You always have work to do." Naruto's tone was light, probably so he wouldn't offend Sasuke. Not that he would've been as he did enjoy work.

"I believe I've already met most of your _family_. But they are your family. Not mine."

Rather than get angry, Naruto hummed again, without taking his eyes off of Sasuke. Dubiously, his roommate looked at him. It annoyed Sasuke very much.

"Don't try to analyze that statement," he said. "There's nothing to it."

"I wasn't gonna until you just said that," Naruto replied with an amused smirk. He stretched his left arm out in front of him and rubbed the inside of his elbow with his right hand before dropping both arms to his sides. "But anyway. I _want_ my friends to meet you. I want _you_ to meet them."

"That's weird. You realize that, don't you?" Sasuke swept his hair out of the way, tucking it behind an ear. Naruto was looking at him that way again as if trying to figure out the best method of approach. If Sasuke didn't already feel completely superior, he would've been less amused by his roommate's presumptuousness.

"I don't think it's weird. If I thought it was weird, I wouldn't do it."

"You'd have to understand your actions were unusual in the first place before you could make a judgment as to whether it's strange in the first place. Don't you think? Naruto?"

Naruto squinted at him suspiciously. "Are you sure you don't wanna tell me what you were reading? You're in a creepy mood."

Sasuke sighed, hoping to convey to Naruto just how irritating this little conversation was for him.

"It's nothing. You're not my therapist, nor my priest, so it shouldn't concern you," he remarked.

Naruto frowned. "You have a priest? That somehow surprises me."

Sasuke traced a fold in his comforter, purposely drawing out his response, testing for unknown reasons. "It's a figure of speech," he said dryly.

"Uh huh."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto. "Stop staring at me like that."

"But I don't get why you're being so… broody."

Sasuke scowled. "I'm not being broody."

"We had a good time this morning, I thought, but apparently if I leave your presence for even a second, you revert to a grumpy old man. You're like that old guy from _Up_."

Sasuke sniffed in disdain. "He had a reason to be disgruntled as I recall."

"True. He did." Naruto nodded. "My eyes might have gotten a bit misty in the beginning."

"I'm sure," said Sasuke. "Was that after the fifth or sixth time you'd seen it?"

"Seventh," Naruto answered, grinning.

"I'm tired." Sasuke crawled off the bed and made his way to the door. He stood in front of his roommate, hand on the door, hoping Naruto would get the hint.

Naruto stared back evenly. "You're trying to get rid of me. And here I just came to say goodnight."

Sasuke leaned into the door. "You're not my wife. It's unnecessary."

Naruto let out a chuckle. "It can feel like it sometimes. You let me make you dinner. Today you took me out to brunch. We're a couple from the 50s, though, since we sleep in separate beds."

"Yes," Sasuke drawled. "Let's keep it that way."

"Before I go, dear," Naruto said, eyes twinkling with mischief as he inclined forward. Sasuke refused to take a step back. "I'd like to invite you to dinner on Wednesday. With Neji and me."

"I can't."

"Can't or won't." Naruto leaned away, scratching the side of his neck.

"Both. I have plans. I'm taking the day off."

"_You_ take days off?" Naruto made a mock-gasping noise. "Isn't that all the more reason to come hang out with us? I think you and Neji have a lot in common."

"No." Sasuke attempted to push Naruto out by closing the door, but Naruto put a hand up and kept it open.

"At least give me a good reason. You can't find a couple hours in your schedule that you can spare to be social?"

"Listen, Naruto," Sasuke snapped, a fist at his side tightening until nails began digging into his palm. "It wasn't my choice for you to live here. I accepted it, however. I haven't said anything against it, have I?"

"No…" Naruto looked startled at Sasuke's harsh tone, but he still kept his hand firmly pressed to the door.

"You can live here, but I'm under no obligation to spend time with you or the people you know. That's not who I am. And if I take a day off, it's to do with it what I want."

"Woah, Sasuke. Okay." Naruto raised his voice, brow furrowing in apparent frustration. Sasuke clamped his mouth shut, his jaw already aching.

They both stared at one another. Sasuke glared as Naruto searched him for answers as he'd been doing this entire time.

"I can tell by your little mood tonight that you're annoyed with something other than me. I'm not gonna pry. It was a simple invitation. A 'no' is sufficient enough."

Sasuke glared harder. "A 'no' is hardly ever sufficient when it comes to you."

"Hm."

Sasuke couldn't help himself from adding: "Is that the sort of hippie reasoning you were raised on? And here I thought you'd understand the meaning of leaving people in peace."

Naruto's expression became flat. Sasuke's blood surged, and by the looks of it, he felt as if they were about to get into a physical fight with each other. The fleeting thought excited him. He'd been wanting to hit Naruto for some time. However, Naruto's stiff shoulders slackened, and his gaze became softer.

"Right," Naruto replied in a rough, mocking voice. He took a step into the room, pushing the door back as he moved. "I'm gonna ignore that because I know you're just testing me. I don't know _why_ you're being such an asshole, but I'm sure you have your reasons. It doesn't change the fact that I _like_ spending time with you whether you believe it or not-"

Sasuke scoffed loudly, and Naruto's eyes became slits at the interruption.

"-If I didn't want you to come, I wouldn't have asked," he finished.

Sasuke smirked and jerked the door. Naruto wasn't expecting it, so his hand dropped in a clumsy movement to his side as he tried to regain his balance.

"Like I said before," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "Mind your own business."

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, pinching the fabric and yanking him forward. Sasuke stumbled and tried to pull away, but Naruto held tight. He would've looked silly trying to escape the hold, so he let Naruto get away with it.

"You _are_ my business. I consider you a friend now, jackass. My friends are my business. Have your day off. Do whatever you want with it. I hope it's absolutely thrilling for you."

"That's very beautiful," Sasuke replied with a healthy amount of venom. "Maybe you should turn that into lyrics."

Naruto laughed darkly and roughly let go of Sasuke's shirt.

Standing his ground, Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "You think you know everything, Naruto. About what's right and what's wrong. But not all of us live in a black and white world."

Naruto sighed. He looked even more tired than he had previously. Sasuke could see disappointment in his face, but he didn't care. He didn't care about Naruto's opinion of him in the slightest.

"Hey," Naruto said in a low voice, looking away from him and into the hallway. "I don't hate you. You can't make me hate you no matter what you do or say."

Sasuke studied his profile, lips pulled into a partial sneer.

Naruto glanced back with a determined expression. "Good night, Sasuke."

Sasuke remained deathly silent as his roommate left him alone and went to his bedroom, closing the door behind him with no more sound than a quiet click. He stared at a spot on the opposite wall, seeing nothing. He felt angry. Angry at Naruto and even more at Shikamaru for having left and put him in this situation. He took in a deep, calming breath that did _anything_ but and shut the door.

It took longer than expected for him to fall asleep.

* * *

**TBC**


	7. Going Home

"Think of me when you close your eyes  
But don't look back when you break all ties  
Think of me when you're coming down  
But don't look back when leaving town today"  
-_There Goes the Fear_, Doves

* * *

Monday and Tuesday passed in relative peace. Sasuke hadn't been _avoiding_ his roommate exactly, they just hadn't happened to run into each other at the same time. He'd been jogging regularly in the morning again and leaving early for work. Naruto hadn't gone out of his way to get up in order to hound Sasuke about his eating habits. They might've passed each other once in the hallway, long enough for Naruto to mumble about band practice. For all Sasuke knew, maybe his roommate had spent the night somewhere else considering he'd hardly heard a peep out of him. Or maybe Sasuke had made him feel so bad Sunday night that Naruto had hung himself from the ceiling fan?

Good thing Naruto paid the rent for the next three months upfront!

Whatever. It didn't matter. Sasuke was on his way to Penn Station. He had the day off, his own plans, and he wasn't returning until much later in the evening. The sky was overcast, and the weatherman had said there would be a good chance of scattered thunderstorms throughout the day. He didn't trust the subway, so he'd actually bothered to hail a cab.

Sasuke stared out the window. It started to drizzle, and little drops of rain wormed their way down the other side of the glass. Was it wrong to think it reminded him of those sex education videos in junior high? Where the sperm burrowed into an egg, its tail flick spastically?

Yeah. Maybe he hadn't slept very well last night. He leaned his head on the black plastic strip on the door. The last thing he wanted to think about was sex, especially not reproduction. He couldn't imagine being able to handle a miniature clone of himself. He sure as hell had no idea how his mother had kept her sanity raising two Uchiha sons while also dealing with their father.

Every year since he had turned 17, Sasuke had made it a habit of not doing anything on this date in June. Well, that's not true. He did visit his parents' home. He talked to his mother on the phone, of course. Not _that_ often as sometimes he didn't have anything to talk to her about because there was nothing in his life but work. However, he did very much like seeing her when there was time. They had plans for lunch in Woodstock, so Sasuke was taking a 9.45 train into Rhinecliff, where he'd either catch a cab to his mom's home or she'd retrieve him from the station. He knew she didn't have a car even though he'd offered several times to help her finance one, but she insisted it was unnecessary.

Sasuke had the cabbie let him off near Madison Square Garden and jogged toward the glass doors. It had completely slipped his mind to bring an umbrella, which was rather stupid on his part. Penn was crowded as per usual, and he growled every time someone walked straight toward him without realizing they would have to _step to the side_ in order to prevent slamming right into him. He cursed the stupidity of the tourists who spent more time watching the signs than watching where they going. He hadn't printed out his tickets, but as he glanced at his watch, he noted he had plenty of time to check in. He waited a few minutes as other passengers were dealt with first, and then when a young Hispanic woman with curly brown hair waved him over, he presented his ID and told her his name.

"Just so you know, sir," she said with a Puerto Rican accent and began typing on the keyboard, barely sparing him a glance. "The train has been delayed."

Sasuke blinked at her several times as if not hearing her. Then he glanced at the board that showed all the arrivals and departures. He found his and saw that in big block letters it read **DELAYED**.

"Just how long is it expected to be delayed?" Sasuke asked, trying to refrain from snapping at the woman.

Her long purple nails clicked loudly on the keys. "About two hours. It's put all trains back at least that much."

"You're kidding me."

She glanced up from her computer and looked at him blankly. Sasuke stared at her while going through his options. He had to get up there. He had to.

"Do you know anything about the buses?" he asked.

The woman's lips thinned in impatience. "I know that they run on four wheels. Listen, sir, there's a line behind you. If you'd like to make arrangements for a bus, I'd suggest you start walking to the Greyhound station on 8th."

Sasuke glared at her. Fucking New Yorkers and their fucking attitudes.

"Only if I can take you with me and throw you under it. Thanks so much. You've been ever so pleasant." He flashed her a dangerous smile.

She looked at him, grinned, and gave him the finger. "Next please."

Sasuke turned away from the counter, other customers gawking at their interaction. What? Like they'd never seen two New Yorkers arguing with each other before?

* * *

Rather than end up in the same situation again, Sasuke grabbed another taxi back to the apartment in order to investigate if there were any possible bus schedules. At the worst, he could go back to Penn Station in a couple of hours and try to catch his original train. Unfortunately, there were no other stations as near to his mother's home as the one in Rhinecliff.

Soaked and irritated, he barged into the apartment, stomping out of his shoes. He leaned one hand against the wall as he untied his sneakers and dropped them in the straw basket by the door. He looked up and noticed Naruto on the couch, watching tv, and eating a bowl of cereal in a pair of sweatpants. He glanced over at Sasuke, spoon in his mouth and milk dripping out the sides.

Sasuke sneered at him and righted himself, slicking his wet hair behind his ears.

"Hey," said Naruto.

Sasuke blinked. "Hi."

"It's raining," Naruto announced rather stupidly upon seeing Sasuke's drenched clothes.

"Can't put a thing past you, can I?" Sasuke shook his head in annoyance and went down the hallway and into his room, where he turned on his laptop. He waited impatiently for it to boot.

"Is something the matter?"

Sasuke sighed and grit his teeth as he looked over his shoulder to find his roommate standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"Everything's fine," Sasuke said. "It'd be even better if this fucking thing would start."

"Uh huh. Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

"Not unless you spent the last two days inventing a teleportation device."

"What, you mean like in _Star Trek_?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stared at him with a frown.

"I'm kidding," said Naruto. "No. I can't say that's what I've been doing, but thank you for showing interest in the time we've spent apart the last couple days. So what gives? Do you need to go somewhere?"

Finally, the computer screen lit up and connected to their wireless. Sasuke went to the Greyhound Web site and started searching through the schedules only to find that the one he would've needed to catch had left ten minutes ago and the next two were completely sold out.

"Shit." He put both hands to the sides of his head and pushed back his hair. "Fuck. How can they _all_ be sold out?"

"Can't you take a train?" Naruto suggested oh so helpfully.

"I tried that already!" Sasuke let his hands fall into his lap.

"You know, if you'd only ask, I'd really like to help you out if I can."

Without powering it down first, Sasuke slammed the laptop shut and got to his feet. "If you'd just - "

He stopped mid-sentence at the look on Naruto's face. They stared at one another for a long moment that did nothing to keep Sasuke's blood pressure from continuing to elevate.

"Where do you need to go?" Naruto asked, just as patient in tone as with his previous questions.

"I need to get to my mother's."

Naruto dropped his arms to his sides. "Oh."

"Yes, there's the big secret about why I took the day off. We were going to have lunch, and then I'd visit with her at our home in Woodstock." He felt furious at having to admit that much to Naruto. "Happy now?"

His roommate tilted his head, but his thoughtful expression didn't waver. "A bit, yeah. I could drive you there if you want."

"You don't have a car."

"I don't, no," said Naruto. "But I can borrow one if you give me about 15 minutes to make some calls."

"But you're having dinner tonight with your friend," Sasuke complained.

"Sure, tonight. I can drive you up there and drive back in time to meet Neji. It's fine. It's only, what, a couple of hours?"

He could only look at his roommate in bafflement. Was he really desperate enough to ask for Naruto's help? He _certainly_ didn't like the idea of being in anyone's debt.

"Seriously, Sasuke. It's no big deal. I didn't have anything planned today that can't wait, and this is obviously important to you, and - " Naruto's expression softened, became rather sad. "I wouldn't want your mom to be disappointed if you stand her up."

Sasuke didn't want her to be stood up either, especially not by him. Not when he'd been managed to make it every year prior.

"Alright," he agreed.

Naruto nodded briefly without making a fuss about it. "Okay, cool. Let me make a quick call so I can find us a car." He disappeared from the doorway.

Sasuke kept staring at where his roommate had been standing, grateful for the sense of relief he felt that he wouldn't have to cancel. Besides, it was easy to justify that Naruto owed him, simply because Sasuke had opened up his home and _allowed_ Naruto to live in it despite his irritating tendencies.

No more than five minutes passed as Sasuke sat at the foot of his bed, eyes directed toward his lap, when Naruto appeared in a pair of jeans and no shirt, toothbrush in his mouth.

"I gosh us a cur," he told Sasuke.

When Sasuke made no response, Naruto removed the toothbrush from his mouth and repeated himself.

"I got us a car." He grinned very widely, pleased with himself.

Sasuke was suddenly struck with the image of several thugs down the street jacking into someone's vehicle on Naruto's behalf, just so he could get to Woodstock. He raised his eyebrows, presenting his roommate with an unspoken question.

"It's Gaara's. He's on his way over, but he threatened death for us both if anything happens to it."

"He's on his way over already?" Sasuke brushed his fingers across his lips, unable to hide the surprise from his face.

"Yeah! I told him I needed a favor!"

"Did you say it was because I needed to get somewhere?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, no. I didn't know if you wanted anyone to know about it, so I said I needed to borrow it for a few hours so that you and I could take a road trip."

"I see."

"Anyway, he's gonna call and let me know when he's close." Naruto flashed him another quick grin and disappeared again from the doorway.

"Okay…" Sasuke replied once his roommate was gone, feeling uneasy and somewhat confused.

Just how long had it been since someone was so quick to help him without seeming like they expected something out of him?

He couldn't even remember.

* * *

When Sasuke stepped out of the apartment complex with Naruto, the last thing he was expecting was for the car they were about to borrow was actually a 2010 black Escalade with tinted windows. In fact, the thought never would've crossed his mind except Naruto was busy pointing at it and repeating "There he is! There he is!"

Gaara parked the SUV and flicked on his hazard lights as he got out of the car, wearing torn-up jeans, a brown t-shirt and aviator glasses. Sasuke wanted to remind him that it was raining, and therefore sunglasses unnecessary, but he bit his tongue.

Naruto ran up to his friend and punched him in the shoulder before throwing an arm around Gaara.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with me driving your baby?" Naruto asked, and shot a playful look at Sasuke.

"Comfortable would be a strong word for what I feel at present," said Gaara. "But you said it was an emergency."

"It is!" Naruto's expression sobered completely. "I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem." Gaara shrugged. "If you put any dents in it, I'm coming after your balls."

"Uh yeah. That sounds like a deal." Naruto folded his arms behind his head and rocked on his feet. He looked at Sasuke expectantly. "Well, ready to go?"

Sasuke nodded, feeling the slightest bit strange at their interaction and at his inability to add anything to it. Not that he would've tried.

Naruto gave Gaara another hug and opened the driver's side door.

Sasuke took a few steps toward the Escalade, stopping in front of Gaara. "There's nowhere we can drop you off?" he asked.

Gaara stared at him from behind his glasses. "No."

Sasuke didn't feel inclined to say anything else. Gaara didn't seem like he had anything to say either, so Sasuke made his way to the passenger side and got in. The interior looked really expensive. The interior was all tan leather and smelled brand new. There were so many buttons and flashing lights on the dashboard he had to wonder if they'd stepped inside a car or a space shuttle.

Naruto gave Gaara another wave, and as the window lowered, he shouted: "Bye!"

Sasuke put his seatbelt on, immediately glowering out the window and at the dismal weather, content to spend the next two hours in silence. Naruto turned on the windshield wipers as the rain started to pour.

"I hope Gaara made it to the subway in time. It's really coming down," Naruto commented. "Do you wanna listen to satellite radio? You can just mess with whatever. I can listen to anything."

"I'm fine."

"Do you mind putting the address into the GPS? I can get us to 87, but after that, I'm not too sure."

"I can tell you once we're close," Sasuke said.

"Oh okay. I just didn't know if you wanted to sleep on the way up there. Then I wouldn't have to wake you."

"I'm not tired."

Naruto nodded. "Mind if I put on some music then?"

"No."

Naruto fussed with the controls, scanning through a couple of stations and coming to one that played classic rock.

"Woodstock, huh?" Naruto asked, and when Sasuke looked over at him, the idiot was grinning. "That's pretty cool. Were we both raised by hippies?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sneered. "It's not like the real Woodstock was held there. It was held in Bethel at White Lake, which is about 40 miles away."

"I know, I know," Naruto said. "It was just a joke. That's still cool though. I've been there once with an ex-girlfriend of mine. She wanted to go to all those little shops."

"Ah."

The song _Layla_ came on as Sasuke returned to staring out the window.

"You know," Naruto spoke, "When this song was first released, it tanked. But a year later, they re-released the longer version, and it became popular."

"It's about Clapton's affair with George Harrison's wife, right?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled. They'd stopped at a red light. "I heard that when Clapton went to Harrison and said 'I'm taking your wife,' George simply replied something like: 'So take her then.'"

"What's a little wife-swapping between friends," Sasuke murmured.

"I know, right? Those damn Beatles, they were all a bit promiscuous weren't they? At least besides John."

"Look where that got him."

"Everyone always says bad stuff about Yoko, but I sort of envy what they had. How often do you get to find your soulmate?"

Sasuke scoffed. "I don't believe in soulmates."

"Yeah. Me neither, I guess," sighed Naruto, drumming his thumbs on the wheel when the song hit its chorus. "Besides, what if you meet them and then it doesn't work out? That's pretty sad when you get rejected by someone who's supposed to be your soulmate."

"Yes. That _would_ suck," Sasuke replied simply because he didn't want to drag out this sort of conversation.

Naruto seemed to get the hint. He hummed, but said nothing further, and Sasuke, wanting very much to be left alone for a while, closed his eyes and told his roommate he'd be taking a nap now and not to wake him until they'd passed Kingston and taken the exit toward Woodstock.

"Alright," Naruto had said as Sasuke relaxed into the seat warmer. "Have a good nap."

* * *

Groggily, Sasuke awoke to the sound of constant, pattering rain and his name being called.

"Hey, you're awake! I thought I was gonna have to pull over and check to make sure you were still breathing."

Sasuke roused himself, sitting straighter in the seat, finding his bottom to be rather hot. He adjusted the temperature of the seat warmer. It had become a lot darker since when they left, and so he glanced at the clock, thinking Naruto wasn't driving them to Woodstock, but to Canada. However, the time showed it was a little after 11.30. He wouldn't be a whole lot later than had he taken the train, so there was no sense in calling his mother to explain the change in travel arrangements. It would only worry her.

"Just stay on this until you see the exit for 375, and that'll take us straight into Woodstock."

"Sure." Naruto sent him a brief look of concern.

Sasuke caught it and snapped, "What?"

Naruto turned his gaze back toward the road and shrugged. "Nothing."

Led Zeppelin was playing on the radio.

"I'm excited to meet your mom," Naruto said out of nowhere.

Sasuke glared at the side of Naruto's profile. "You're not meeting her."

"I'm not?" Naruto asked. He frowned and his eyebrows drew together.

"I'd prefer if you'd simply drop me off and head back. I'll pay you for gas. I wouldn't want you to be late to dinner." Sasuke dragged out the word 'dinner' as if it were an STD.

"Any particular reason? I did spend the last two hours driving you here, and I have to take a leak."

"Then you can pull into a rest stop."

Naruto sighed. "Have it your way."

_I'm gonna give you my love, ah_  
_I'm gonna give you every inch of my love, ah_  
_I'm gonna give you my love, ah_

Sasuke turned off the radio. They rode in mostly silence, the quiet broken by the occasional curse from his roommate about the weather. Sasuke did have to agree that it was rather miserable out. At one point, once they'd exited onto 375 heading North, it became near impossible to see out the windshield, and he'd felt the slightest bit tense, but Naruto looked relatively relaxed if not stooped over the steering wheel. As they got closer to his home and nearer to Woodstock, Sasuke guided his roommate through the back roads, though he was barely able to place the buildings they passed and could gauge the familiarity of the route only through the bends and curves of the road.

Finally, they came to the street Sasuke had grown up on since the age of seven, and he had Naruto pull into the driveway. The rain was coming down hard. The both of them looked out the windows, and once again, Sasuke had forgotten to grab an umbrella in his haste just to get here.

"Maybe it'll let up soon," Naruto said sarcastically.

Sasuke graced him with a glare.

But in doing so, he'd missed his mother as she came out of the house, only noticing her when she was tapping at his window. Without thinking, he rolled the window down, despite the rain that began pouring inside.

"Mother," he said in quiet greeting.

She smiled at him brightly and raised her red umbrella so as not to allow the rain to get inside Gaara's SUV. She cast a look behind Sasuke at Naruto.

"Why hello," she said warmly. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Naruto and narrowed his eyes warningly.

Naruto ignored him completely. "Hi!" He said energetically. "I'm Naruto, Sasuke's roommate. It's nice to meet you. It's terrible about the weather. Aren't you getting soaked?"

His mother shook her head. "No, no. But, yes, it's awful! I was out in the garden pruning some of the roses when it started raining like crazy! But here I thought Sasuke was taking the train…?"

"The trains got delayed," he explained.

"Oh! Well, you could have called and canceled if it was that much trouble for you to get here, Sasuke! You shouldn't have troubled your friend to drive you all the way from the city!"

"It was no trouble, ma'am," Naruto chimed in with a huge grin that set Sasuke's scowl even deeper. "I was happy to help. It seemed like you two had an important date."

Sasuke's mother laughed while covering her mouth with her hand. "Well I hope you'll both come inside. I've been baking since it started to rain, so I have a fresh pie and some cookies!"

"Ah, Sasuke said that you bake pies!" Naruto cried. "But, no. I, uh, gotta get back, and uh -" He glanced at Sasuke. "Er, and I have to meet a friend for dinner."

"What?" Mikoto asked, sounding scandalized. "At least come in for a few minutes so I can offer you a drink! I'm sure Sasuke won't mind."

The both of them stared at Sasuke expectantly.

"No, I don't mind," he said through clenched teeth, unable to disappoint his mother.

"Okay, good!" she said, bringing her hand to her cheek. "Come inside when you're ready, I'll go boil some water for tea." She waved goodbye before darting back into the house.

Sasuke rolled up the window. Very slowly, he turned to Naruto and glared.

"What the hell was that?"

Naruto was grinning. "What? She seems great. I'll come in for tea to be polite, and then I'll leave. I swear. Stop being such a jerk. I'm starting to think you were adopted with a mom as hot and nice as that." Swiftly, he unclicked his seatbelt and parted his mouth, feigning a look of shock. "Yeah I said it."

Then before Sasuke could undo his own seatbelt and reach over to punch his roommate, Naruto had turned off the ignition and was out the car, pulling up his light jacket over his head to avoid the rain.

Sasuke stared at the empty seat, then he gazed at the front of the house, watching his roommate go in through the door.

He took a few calming breaths, opened the car door and made a dash for the porch, which gave him ample enough time to imagine how he could best disembowel his roommate and throw his body into the Hudson, while wondering what expression he should wear when the police officer came knocking at their door.

Why no officer. I haven't seen him for days! I don't know who would have cut him up into pieces and thrown him into the river!

Fucking idiot! Sasuke was going to _kill_ him!

* * *

TBC


	8. All You Need is Love

"Cecilia, you're breaking my heart  
You're shaking my confidence daily  
Oh, Cecilia, I'm down on my knees  
I'm begging you please to come home  
Come on home

**Jubilation**, she loves me again,  
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing,  
Jubilation, she loves me again,  
I fall on the floor and I'm laughing"  
- _Cecilia_, Simon & Garfunkel

* * *

The rain and wind rattled the kitchen window; the sky had become significantly darker. Sasuke sat at the round dining table, hand cupping a warm mug filled with an Earl Grey tea. Across the table, he could feel Naruto watching him, but his gaze was on his mother as she removed her tea bag from her mug and turned off the burner. Steam rose from her mug in a lucid spiral. Thunder cracked in the distance, and for a brief instant the kitchen lights flickered.

"Some storm," Naruto said.

Sasuke looked at him with a tight frown. In the meantime, his mother took a seat in the chair between them, smiling as she pushed her hair away from her face and slid it behind her ear.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to even think about leaving in this kind of weather?" She asked Naruto.

Naruto tilted his head and offered a reassuring grin, the pinky of his right hand pointing up as he held his mug by the handle. "I'm sure it'll clear up soon. I have some leeway with time. Don't worry."

"I'm a mother." She looked at Sasuke as she added, "It's our job to worry."

"Well," Naruto replied, also sending Sasuke a glance before continuing, "With a son like Sasuke I'm sure there's very little to worry about." He smiled teasingly. "Except getting him to eat something besides yogurt."

Sasuke cleared his throat, finding it the best way to make evident his annoyance at being talked about as if he weren't in the room. Naruto chuckled at him and tried to hide his amused grin behind his mug.

When Sasuke looked at his mother, she looked surprised about something.

"What?" he asked, resting a hand on the table and drumming his fingers impatiently.

"It's just good to see you two getting along so well." She turned her attention to Naruto. "So what is it you do?"

Naruto smoothed his wet bangs, causing them to cling to his cheek and forehead. His eyes were twinkling. "I'm a musician."

"Oh, how interesting! What kind of instrument do you play?" Mikoto settled her elbows on the tabletop.

"Guitar mostly. I can play the piano, too. And a friend of mine is trying to teach me drums."

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed his mother, lacking in all the sarcasm Sasuke would've liked to bestow. "Don't you think so, Sasuke?"

"Yes," he replied while smirking at Naruto. "It _is_ wonderful."

Naruto ignored him. "I dragged Sasuke to watch me and some of my friends play last week." He took another short sip of tea.

"Then he let me mutilate him," Sasuke added with an even bigger smirk.

Mikoto glanced between them. "Mutilated? What do you mean?"

His roommate laughed and pulled his sleeve up to reveal his wrist, which was now free of its bandage. "Did you know your son had such an artistic side, Mrs. Uchiha? He did," Naruto set his tea down and proceeded to trace the lines with his finger, "All of the linework. Then my great Uncle filled it in."

"Call me Mikoto. Mrs. Uchiha makes me feel old somehow. May I?" she asked, reaching for his roommate's wrist.

Naruto nodded, and Sasuke watched with narrowed eyes as his mom gently took his roommate's wrist and studied the lines of the tattoo.

"I'm impressed. I didn't know you could do stuff like this," she told Sasuke as she let go of Naruto's hand.

"I took art in high school," he replied, leaning back in the chair as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Somehow he felt affronted his mother would entertain the idea there was anything he _couldn't_ do. If there _was_, it'd be because he hadn't _tried_ it yet.

"Don't pout, dear," said his mother, shifting in the chair to face him. "It makes you look so unpleasant when your forehead wrinkles like that." She playfully moved to poke him in that very spot, but he turned his face away and scowled.

Sasuke uncrossed his arms, deciding it might be best to do like he always did at the apartment, which was to pretend Naruto's presence was non-existent. "So what are we going to do for lunch?"

"Well," said his mother as she turned her mug around in circles, "I had plans for us to go to the Bear Café, but with the weather like this maybe it'd be okay for me to make you something here?"

"I'm not staying."

"He's not staying." Both he and Naruto spoke at the same time, which led to a mutual staring contest.

Naruto folded his arms behind his head casually and looked away. "I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble for me. You two already had important plans and everything. Really I think I can take off any time."

Mikoto shook her head, already disapproving of such a plan. "They were talking about flash flood warnings on the news. At least wait it out another hour or two and see if it stops! I wouldn't want you to get into an accident on the interstate. In fact, I _insist_ you stay and have lunch with us."

Sasuke watched his roommate closely and noticed he seemed hesitant to accept his mother's offer. He looked out the window and considered the weather one more time. It didn't appear as if it was any better than it had been ten minutes ago.

"Just stay, Naruto." He said. "It's fine."

Naruto looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

Sasuke sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sure. But you probably won't make it in time for your _date_."

"You have a date?" Mikoto asked. "I thought you were just having dinner with a friend. Do you have a girlfriend then?"

"He did have rather long hair," Sasuke supplied.

"Oh-oh! I'm so sorry." His mom looked absolutely flustered by this information. "I didn't mean to assume - "

Sasuke laughed a little and continued smiling when he caught his roommate rolling his eyes at him.

Naruto shook his head. "You're such a jerk."

"I know," Sasuke replied.

Mikoto grasped her mug with two hands and brought it level with her chin. "I don't think I can keep up with you two! My son can be rather sarcastic, and it's sometimes difficult to tell when he's being serious."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "I think even when he's teasing he's actually being pretty serious about it."

"True." She smiled at him.

"I had plans to meet my old roommate for dinner, but it's no big deal," explained Naruto. "He'll understand. Uh, and to answer your other question: no. I do not have a girlfriend."

"You do. Just not officially," Sasuke felt like putting in.

"I can see why. You seem very sweet and polite. And being a musician, and a very handsome one at that, I'm sure it's hard to pick just one woman."

Sasuke and Naruto both stared at her, dumbfounded (for two obviously different reasons). Naruto broke into a large grin and scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"It's not exactly like that. But," Naruto paused awkwardly, "Thank you. For the compliments."

"Of course," replied his mom. "So! About lunch?"

Sasuke tapped his finger on the table, a little irritated his mother decided to be benevolent and change the subject when he liked so much to see his roommate squirm.

"Why don't we order pizza?" he suggested. "That way you won't have to go to the trouble of cooking."

"I suppose we could. That's fine with me. What kind of pizza do you like?"

"Um." Naruto scratched underneath his chin. "Whatever you two want is fine with me. I'm not very picky. But if you don't mind, I should run to the car to find my phone." He started to get up from the chair, taking his mug to the sink where he rinsed it out. "Would you like me to leave this in the sink or put it in the dishwasher?"

Mikoto turned in the chair. "You can leave it in the sink, that's fine. Guests shouldn't have to do the dishes. Go call your friend, Naruto."

Naruto smiled at her. He looked at Sasuke one last time and then made his way toward the living room.

When they heard the front door open and shut, his mother spoke. "He's nice, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at her skeptically. "He's annoying."

Mikoto sighed and placed her chin into the cupped palm of her hand. "How's Shikamaru? Do you ever hear from him?"

Sasuke took the change of subject in stride. "We've talked once or twice." He caught himself staring out the window, watching Naruto as he climbed into the SUV while rain continued to pour down in Biblical proportions. "I'll go order the pizza."

She nodded, but there was an expression of concern that gave him pause. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and licked his lips.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

His mother tipped her head to the side, lips thinning into a wistful sort of smile. "I'm doing fine, Sasuke. I'm glad you've made a new friend. You seem happy."

Sasuke scoffed despite knowing it sounded childish. "He and I aren't friends."

"You know," Mikoto started to stay but couldn't finish because tears had started forming in her eyes.

"It's alright," he said softly.

His mother nodded and covered her mouth with a hand, muffling the quiver in her voice. "I just… don't know what I'd do without you."

Sasuke grimaced and rubbed his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

A single teardrop tracked its way down his mother's left cheek. "Except to go order us some pizza, of course." She wiped the tear away and attempted to laugh it off. "But I'm glad, though, that we have company. He really does seem nice, dear. In fact, I think he's adorable!"

"Uh huh," Sasuke drawled. "About as adorable as an ulcer."

Mikoto laughed, and Sasuke grinned crookedly. Hesitantly, he got up from the chair and patted his mother reassuringly on the shoulder as she stared into her empty mug. He took a few steps toward the doorway and stopped. Briefly, he glanced over his shoulder and then left the room.

* * *

Sasuke had wandered upstairs where the three bedrooms were located. He sat on the edge of his old bed. The room felt fairly plain, even to himself. The walls were a pale blue. A couple of darkly-stained floating shelves held a modest amount of trophies he'd won for various athletic and academic activities when he was in high school. There was a cork board above his desk, and several newspaper clippings were pinned to it as well as a few photographs of nothing particularly special.

Being in his old room and listening to the rain on the roof and window felt strange. It made him morose and nostalgic. It made him feel alone. He heard the front door slam shut downstairs and knew his roommate was back inside. Sasuke could just barely hear the deep tones of Naruto's voice as he spoke with his mother. It made him jealous a bit, however irrational. The two of them talking together and knowing how much his mom seemed to like Naruto.

Sasuke took in a deep breath and gazed at his fingers as they curled against the thin fabric of the quilted blanket. He rolled his shoulders and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, remembering old and painfully bittersweet things. A familiar voice started to drift in through the open door. He frowned and opened his eyes, ignoring the hollow sensation in his stomach. Purposefully, he stood and left the bedroom.

Going down the stairs, he saw his mother on the loveseat and Naruto thumbing through a bookshelf filled with old records as Freddie Mercury's enthusiastic voice filled the living room. Sasuke went over to his roommate and stood beside him, irritated that Naruto felt it okay to nose through his family's belongings.

"Pizza will be here in 45 minutes," he said out of the corner of his mouth.

Naruto acknowledged his approach with a grunt. "I love the smell of old records. Even just seeing the covers gets me excited. I grew up on this stuff. What an awesome collection, too."

"A lot of it was Sasuke's father's," said Mikoto. "I tried to give them to Sasuke when his father passed, but he didn't want them."

Naruto's head shot up and he stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. "I didn't know your dad had died," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke blinked at him, almost confused by the apology. "You didn't ask."

"Right," said Naruto, still staring at him in disbelief.

"We can talk about it later," Sasuke muttered so that his mother wouldn't hear. "Now's not the time."

"Okay." Naruto's teeth pressed into the center of his lip.

"She says they're my father's, but most of them are records he bought for her," he admitted and crouched, running the tips of his fingers over the sides of the covers on the bottom shelf. "_He_ was fairly traditional, but mother enjoyed all kinds of music." He pulled out an album by The Animals and read the songs on the back.

"You two are whispering an awful lot," said his mother, and both he and Naruto turned to look at her apologetically.

"I was just telling Naruto about how father was more of the jazz type."

"Nothing wrong with jazz," Naruto interjected.

"Oh, you're interested in jazz?" Asked his mother. "Then you and my husband would've gotten along very well."

"Doubtful," Sasuke mumbled as he picked out another vinyl. He hadn't gone through these in years.

"Do you have a favorite song or album you'd like us to play for you?" Naruto asked Mikoto.

"Play whatever you'd like. I'm content to listen to anything. It's nice just that those old albums are getting any use at all. I'm surprised the record player still works! It's been ages since I've bothered to use it."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you and I are soulmates. At least musical ones." Distracted somewhat, Naruto appreciatively ran his fingertips over the records again, eyes scanning the titles. "Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Queen, the Stones, _Bowie_, the Beatles? I'm in love." Naruto flashed her a huge grin over his shoulder. "Seriously, these are all really great! I want to punch Sasuke for not taking them because I'd play them day and night in the apartment."

Sasuke grimaced, speaking low and trying to repress the idea that perhaps his roommate just hit on his mother. "That's probably an example of a reason why I never would have brought it up."

His mother thanked Naruto for the compliment anyway, and all Sasuke could do to retaliate was smack his roommate on the back of his head.

"Stop coming onto my mother. She's not interested. And," he said gruffly, "I thought you didn't believe in soulmates." He retrieved an album and handed it to Naruto. "She likes this. Play this."

Naruto took the album and studied it for a few seconds. "Any particular song?"

"Yes." He pointed at a track. "This one."

"Good choice." Naruto abruptly stalled Freddie in the middle of the bridge for _Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy_. Carefully, he replaced the record into the album sleeve and removed the one Sasuke had chosen. Gently, his roommate set the needle down and a tinny static erupted from the speakers before the song began.

As the first part of the instrumental played and then the first words sung, Sasuke could hear his mother's breath catch from where they stood. He turned to her and the expression on her face made him nearly forget Naruto was in the room. Sasuke had his hand in a jean pocket and suddenly he drew it out and walked over to the couch. He held the hand out to her.

She looked up at him with startled, glossy eyes. She took his hand, and they both walked to the center of the room. The carpet felt so soft underneath his bare feet. Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw Naruto take a seat on the end of the sofa, but he didn't care. Nothing seemed more important than his mother in that moment.

Sasuke settled his hands on his mother's waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love this song," she whispered near his ear.

"I know," he said. His mother lowered her head and rested it on his shoulder as they began to dance in slow circles.

"This was your father and I's song." Her lips moved against Sasuke's shirt.

"I know."

"He'd be so proud of who you've become, Sasuke."

Sasuke said nothing in response. He only squeezed his mother a little more tightly and shut his eyes. That strange feeling he'd had earlier in his bedroom loomed again as the vocals blended with the sound of the falling rain. He felt the dampness on his shirt and began to move his hand in soothing circles on his mother's back.

_Darling, so it goes  
Some things are meant to be…_

"I don't think the weather is getting any better," said his mother as she lifted her head to look at him. "You should both stay the night and leave in the morning."

Dancing still, Sasuke looked over at Naruto. He had one arm on the sofa's edge, and he was staring away from them, at the mantle of the fireplace where there was a family portrait leaned against the brick. Sasuke glanced at his mom again, locking away the look of melancholy he'd just seen on his roommate's face.

"You aren't going to argue?" she asked.

"No." He smiled weakly. "I'm not going to argue."

"Good," she said and rested her head back down on his shoulder, embracing him tightly up until the very end of the song.

* * *

TBC


	9. Store Baggage in Overhead Compartment

"Is it cruel or kind not to speak my mind,  
and to lie to you rather than hurt you?  
Well I'll confess all of of my sins  
after several large gins  
but still I'll hide from you,  
hide what's inside from you."  
-_Music When the Lights Go Out_, The Libertines

* * *

Naruto was leaning against the bed, indulging in a fat piece of Sasuke's mother's pie (he shuddered at the possible euphemism). He'd borrowed his mom's laptop and, for the last half hour, had been sending out all appropriate e-mails to people at work. Kakashi returned an e-mail right away, congratulating him on "shacking up with some transexual Thai prostitute in search of his/her green card ;p".

"You keep making weird noises and grinding your teeth. Are you okay?"

Sasuke glanced at his roommate, who had the prongs of the fork pressed against his chin. "You know, you're more than welcome to go into the other room."

Naruto shovelled another piece of pie into his mouth. "But I'm not tired yet. This is kinda fun really. Like a sleepover. I can't remember the last time I did that."

"Uh huh. So what do you call it when you spend the night at Ino's place?"

"Oh great," Naruto said, wiping the corner of his mouth with his hand. "More 'Naruto is a manwhore' jokes. You should've been a stand-up comedian instead of whatever it is you do."

"I thought about it. But when I got put on the wait list for Clown School I didn't have much of a choice."

Naruto started choking. He pounded his fist against his chest several times. "Is this you in a good mood because I can't recall you ever being this funny back in the city."

Sasuke smirked as he finished sending an e-mail to his team, reminding them that even if he wasn't there for tomorrow morning's meeting that they should still go over the Power Point presentation he'd attached regarding the project schedule.

"Don't get too excited. It's probably the wine," he said.

"And after midnight you'll go back to being a pumpkin?" Naruto set the plate down on the floor, put his arm on the edge of the bed, and smiled up at Sasuke.

"Or a gremlin," he replied.

"I guess this means I shouldn't stick your hand in a glass of water and wait for you to piss yourself. The last thing I want is to see gremlin versions of you with Mohawks."

"Oh. Stripe? I always liked him," he said, distracted as he typed up what would hopefully be the last e-mail for the evening.

"Figures," said Naruto. "You seem the type to empathize with the villain."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment. Besides," Sasuke glanced at the time on the computer screen, "We have two more hours before you even have to worry about it."

"Hey, Sasuke. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?"

"Do I even want to ask what train of thought led to this question?"

"Ah, it's not that complicated." Naruto scratched the side of his nose. "It's just that talking about villains made me think of the _Dark Knight_, and then I wondered if I was contradicting myself because I was pretty in love with the Joker."

"Makes sense. I don't know, Naruto. I guess I'd choose invisibility," he said as he deleted the newest message from Kakashi without reading it.

"That doesn't surprise me." Naruto stretched his arm out over the bed, alongside Sasuke's leg. "I'd fly or something."

"What if you get sucked into a jet engine?"

"I'll have to hope that Sully guy is flying the plane so that it can land safely onto the Hudson."

"How surprising," Sasuke said sarcastically. "You've just been sucked into a jet engine and your only concern is for the passengers' safety."

"Well I'm already dead, right? It'd be my fault their lives were at risk, so it's not like I'd want them to crash and die because of me or anything."

Sasuke hummed, amused. He started browsing on Google, searching for updates about the weather. The rain hadn't stopped. It pounded on the roof like the pattering of dozens of tiny toddler feet.

"Hey, I'm gonna bring my plate to the kitchen."

Sasuke looked at his roommate as he began to stand, empty plate in hand.

"_Cool_," he said.

"You're such an _ass_hole. When I come back, I'm gonna smack you around a little."

He smirked. "Only a little?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Your mom should've beaten you more as a kid."

Sasuke ignored the comment and turned away to focus on the weather radar spread across the screen. "When you come back, you're going to take a shower. You stink."

"Do I?" Naruto sniffed his armpit. "Hm. Maybe you're right. Can I borrow some clothes? A towel?"

"Whatever."

* * *

On his way to the shower, Naruto had dropped off their second bottle of wine they'd left unfinished in the kitchen. He'd brought two drinking glasses with cartoon characters from the 80s on them instead of proper wine glasses. Naruto had made it fairly clear that _his_ glass was to be the one with Optimus Prime on it, and Sasuke would have to settle for Papa Smurf. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure why his mom had kept them in the cupboards after so many years. She had gone to bed early, complaining of a headache. He didn't blame her as that was often the result of being in the presence of Naruto.

Gently, he closed the laptop and set it to the side of his desk. He stared at the newspaper articles and photos on the cork board as he traced the outline of Papa Smurf's red beanie hat. He could just barely hear the shower over the rain beating against the window. Every once in a while, the wind howled and a branch on the other side of the house would scrape against the siding. He frowned a little; Naruto had started to sing.

As he read the headline for one of the article clippings over and over, he also studied the accompanying photo for a long time. It was of him and two other children from his elementary school. He'd taken first place in a spelling bee. All three of them were holding up certificates. The other kids were smiling, looking straight into the camera. His younger self had one hand in the pocket of his corduroys and had turned his chubby, scowling face away from the photographer.

What a brat he'd been.

"Whatcha staring at?"

Naruto entered the room, wearing a pair of Sasuke's old pajama pants and was towelling off his hair. He leaned over Sasuke's shoulder, trying to read the article.

"Hey is that _you_? Shit, it _is_ you! Sasuke Uchiha wins Ulster County spelling bee!" He laughed, even as Sasuke pushed him out of the way.

"You're dripping on me. Do you mind?"

Naruto threw the towel around his neck and sat on the edge of the bed, making the springs creak. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. I noticed all the trophies earlier. I guess you must've been pretty popular, eh? What being smart _and_ good at sports."

Sasuke gave him a good look, reading Naruto's expression. He drew the glass to his lips without thinking and sipped the wine. "No. Not particularly."

Naruto met his gaze. "Oh. That's too bad." He smiled. "I was gonna ask earlier, because you don't talk much about yourself, but, uh, the family portrait downstairs? You look a lot like your brother. You never told me you had one."

For just the briefest instant, Sasuke shut his eyes and then opened them, conscious of the way his features hardened.

"Don't you think there's a reason some people choose not to talk about themselves?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped, and he looked away. "Sorry. I suppose I shouldn't have asked."

There were a few minutes of awkward silence between them before Naruto got up and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Y'know," he said, glass rim touching his bottom lip, "I don't wanna pry, but I'd really like you to trust me. To listen or whatever. About anything."

"I'm _fine_."

"Okay." Naruto's voice was soft and filled with a patience that made Sasuke unreasonably angry. His roommate stood near the desk, staring at the trophies on the shelf. He picked one up. "I used to play baseball when I was a kid, too. Don't remember getting any trophies. It was just me and a few other kids in the neighbourhood. Older boys mostly."

Sasuke watched him as he ran his fingers over the engraved text on the trophy plaque, trying to imagine Naruto as a kid. It wasn't terribly difficult. He was probably a bigger pain in the ass than Sasuke had been. A few questions sprung to mind, but he couldn't be bothered to ask. He didn't want Naruto to think he was interested.

"That night after the show, after we went to see Jiraiya?" Naruto looked down at him, waiting for Sasuke's acknowledgment that he remembered. "I told you I stuttered as a kid. Well, a lot of the boys would make fun of me except this one guy. He was maybe only two or three years older than me. He died a little while ago. " Naruto frowned, shook his head, smiled again though it was faint. "Well, he sorta took me under his wing and stuck up for me. Not that I couldn't take care of myself. But I was sorta smaller than the other boys my age..."

Naruto trailed off as he walked toward the window and rubbed the back of his neck. Sasuke stared at the tattoo on his arm. The black ink appeared faded under the glow of the ceiling fixture.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said quietly. He cleared his throat.

Naruto turned to him, raising an eyebrow. He tilted his head, confused. "Sorry about what?"

"To hear about your friend."

"Oh." Naruto's hand clenched more tightly around the glass. He turned to look out the window again. "I hadn't seen him in a very long time. Ran into a mutual friend of ours and heard about it. Overdose. I guess he hung with a bad crowd."

"I guess so."

Naruto laughed, but the sound of it was strange.

"It's probably these stupid cups, huh? Making me nostalgic. That and the rain and all your old childhood stuff. Plus it always feels different when you go out of the city, don't y'think? It's like being in a bubble. Sometimes I forget places exist outside of New York."

Sasuke drank a bit more wine before answering quietly, "Me too."

"I like your home though. It's very warm. Your mom is nice. She seems proud of you. I think maybe I expected something different when I came here, but it also suits you so well."

"Naruto," he started to say something and paused at the look on Naruto's face. He rubbed the tip of his thumb underneath his chin and settled his arm along the edge of the desk.

A loud clap of thunder interrupted the moment and caused the house to shake.

Naruto was watching him with an odd expression, lips pressed firmly together. It didn't look right. Suddenly, he appeared more tired than Sasuke had ever seen him. His gaze dropped to the tattoo on Naruto's wrist.

"Sit down," he said, averting his eyes. "You're making me nervous, idiot."

Naruto didn't immediately respond, but, after a minute, he did go to the bed and sat down on the edge. Then he pulled himself toward the middle of the mattress, careful with his wine, and leaned against the headboard.

"Comfortable? " Sasuke asked, turning around in the chair to face him better.

"It's cosy, yeah." Naruto's eyes had started to droop. Soon, he closed them as if he had every intention of falling asleep there.

"So," Sasuke said, and he blamed the wine for his desire to keep up conversation, "Is Gaara going to have my head because he won't get his car back tonight?"

Naruto cracked a smile. "He'll have mine before he has yours. Nah, I called him after I called Neji. Before I even told him what was going on, he wanted to make sure I wasn't driving around in the storm."

Sasuke refilled his Smurf glass, eyeing Naruto's to see if his needed to be topped up as well, but it was half full. "You two are close."

Naruto's smile grew broader. He began to spin the glass in circles where it rested on his thigh. "Yeah. I'd say he's my best friend. Don't know what I'd do without him."

"How _nice_."

"You don't like him very much do you," Naruto stated.

"I'd say that should be fairly obvious. Not that he cares much for me either. I believe the first night we met, he told me he hated me."

"He was just jealous," Naruto said, flippantly enough that Sasuke raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Jealous? Of what?"

Naruto sighed. "Let's just say he's sort of possessive of his friends. Or should I say protective? He didn't want me to move in with you."

Sasuke found some pleasure in the fact he'd annoyed Gaara. "Is that so."

"Don't look so pleased with yourself," Naruto said lightly. "What about you? Do you regret letting me move in?"

"Always," he answered, half-meaning it.

"I don't regret it. I'm glad I met you."

"You don't even know me, Naruto." Sasuke licked his lips. "If you really knew me, I doubt you'd want to stick around."

"That's a weird thing to say. Why do you say that? You're moody and irritable, but I still want to get to know you. Are you a water sign? That would explain things."

"Water sign?" he asked, disturbed by the sudden shift of their conversation to something so banal.

"Yeah. Ino's into that sort of stuff. Horoscopes, astrology. Don't you know what you are?"

"Fire, maybe?" Sasuke answered indifferently. "I'm a Leo."

"Oh. Hm. I'm air apparently. Wonder what that means."

"Probably that it's a bad idea for us to be in a small space together," he said drolly.

Naruto snorted and held out his glass toward him. "Maybe. Depends on whether or not you like explosive forces or not, I guess. I'm game if you are."

Sasuke took the glass and poured his roommate some more wine. "You're a moron."

"So you say. Thanks." He sat up to grab the glass and crossed his legs underneath him. "I," Naruto stopped, looking uneasy at first and then determined. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I was sorry to hear about your Dad."

"You never quit, do you?"

Naruto nodded. "No, I really don't."

"It seems we've both lost important people."

"Yeah..."

Sasuke lowered his head, fingering through his hair as it fell out of place from behind his ear. "My father worked himself to death after my brother ran away." He raised his eyes, looking out from under his bangs. "Is that what you wanted to hear? I was about 16 when Itachi disappeared. It was shortly before his 21st birthday. It wasn't more than a year later that my father had a heart attack at work and died before the ambulance reached the hospital."

Naruto remained quiet as Sasuke covered his face with his hand. The rain had become something of a roar in his ears. The bed creaked, and when Sasuke finally removed his hand, Naruto was standing in front of him. He took the glass Sasuke had been holding so tightly and set it on the desk. He didn't say anything, and he didn't do something as suicidal as try to pull Sasuke into a hug.

He thought the lights flickered. Through a fog, he saw Naruto pull the bed covers back. Sasuke heard the sliding sound of the blinds closing with a quick squeak that made him wince. The glasses clinked together as Naruto grabbed them with one hand, while throwing the towel around his neck. Sasuke couldn't bear to look him in the eye. Besides, he was suddenly too tired to keep them open.

"Get some sleep," he heard Naruto say as he turned off the desk lamp and picked up the empty wine bottle.

"You don't have to do that," Sasuke said hoarsely. The sweetness of the wine had made his throat raw.

"Wake me up whenever you're ready to go in the morning, alright?"

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. Tilting his head back, he drew in a deep breath and released it. His eyes slowly moved to the door when he heard it shut. Thunder rattled the house as he continued to stare at the door. He could hear Naruto going down the stairs to the kitchen. He heard him come back up again. He thought he heard Naruto pause by the door, but he couldn't say for sure. Down the hallway, the door to Itachi's old bedroom closed.

Without undressing or turning off the lights, Sasuke got up from the chair and crawled into his bed, still warm from where Naruto had been sitting, and, within a few minutes, had fallen asleep.

* * *

**TBC**


	10. It's All in the Past

"It's a void that I can't fill  
An empty space I can't replace  
With anything at all"

-_Empty Space_, Air Traffic

* * *

Every day, Sasuke walked home from St. Anthony's, the private Catholic high school he attended. Baseball practice had run longer than usual. The pitcher who usually started in their games had injured his shoulder. Sasuke would have to pitch in his place for Saturday's game. He'd pitched for his junior varsity team, so he wasn't worried. Only a freshman, he found he couldn't be displeased with the idea of starting for the team. In fact, he was very eager to tell his father about it. As well as Itachi, who was already home for summer break from Dartmouth.

It was mid-May, but the evening was cool. The slight breeze felt refreshing. He'd showered in the locker room, re-dressing in his school uniform: short-sleeved white button-down shirt, black slacks. The sun remained despite the hour. It peeked out from behind the tall pine trees lining the road. He re-adjusted his backpack, moving it to his other shoulder. It was heavy, filled until the zipper had become taut. He had a final exam tomorrow in Algebra II and his world history class. The road had recently been re-tarred, the smell of it still in the air. The center lines had yet to be re-painted. Cars were scarce, making the trek home calm and peaceful. Thunder might have rumbled in the distance, but it could have been a firework.

Out of habit, because usually he was the first one home, Sasuke checked the mailbox. Of course, it was empty. It must've been near 8 o'clock. Even his father would be home from his job in the city by now. He could hear their dog Max barking in the back yard. Probably at a bird or squirrel. Just the other day, when Sasuke had been sitting on their back porch, Max had come up to him, tail wagging, and presented him with a dead baby bird. Its skin was still pink. He'd ended up flinging its body over the fence as Max let out a long whine.

The lights in the kitchen were on. Sasuke wiped his shoes on the welcome mat. Opening the door, he heard the voice of his father. Sasuke's heart rate sped up. He smiled at first, but then he controlled himself. His father was probably very tired. Sasuke could wait to tell him about pitching. As he stepped into the entranceway, he heard Itachi's raised voice.

With his hand still on the doorknob, Sasuke paused. He knew what happened when they raised their voices to their father. Growing up, he'd had his fair share of belt marks on his backside and now understood very well that Fugaku Uchiha expected nothing less than obedience and respect from his two sons. To disobey was unthinkable. His father had grown up in a very traditional, conservative home in Japan. Sasuke had been born in Japan, but shortly after, the family had moved to Vancouver, then San Francisco. At the age of 7, the family had settled in Woodstock. Moving so frequently had made it difficult for Sasuke to make friends. The person he was closest to had always been Itachi, but for the past three years, his brother had been attending Dartmouth. He'd received a National Merit Scholarship. He'd always been at the top of his class. In fact, Itachi had graduated from St. Anthony's within three years instead of four. Rather than head straight to university, his brother spent 6 months abroad in Japan for an internship. Sasuke didn't remember it well, but he knew that his father had, at first, refused to let Itachi go. In the end, however, his father conceded. Because, as Sasuke had told himself then, Itachi was the first-born and favoured son.

At times it had left him feeling envious and jealous of his brother. It was Itachi that forced Sasuke to work so hard when it came to his academics and extracurriculars. But it always seemed as if Itachi's accomplishments remained just out of his reach. It was hard to remain ambitious when he felt like so little had always been expected of him. Yet, he also knew that his father would not be pleased if Sasuke failed to constantly be at the top of his class. He understood his role very well but often felt torn between two identities. Was he Japanese? Was he American? How could he come to terms with being both?

When Sasuke roused himself from his thoughts, he realized he'd been eavesdropping on a conversation between his parents and Itachi. Their voices had gone low, with his father doing the majority of the talking. Sasuke didn't know what to do. If he shut the door, they would know he was there and had been listening. There was nowhere for him to go. Something in the kitchen crashed. A plate, a glass. Shouts resounded, his father using Japanese. Sasuke made the mistake of dropping his backpack. It thudded as loud as a bowling ball on the wood flooring. Any efforts to try and conceal himself didn't matter anymore as Itachi rounded the corner and almost ran into him. Very briefly, surprise flashed across his brother's face. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but when his father stood behind Itachi, he immediately closed it again.

Itachi gave him a look that made him feel ashamed for his own submissiveness around their father. His brother left the house. A car door slammed. Sasuke rushed to the living room, kneeling on the couch as he threw open the curtains and watched Itachi drive off with men he had never seen before. He hadn't even heard the car come into the driveway.

Pressing his fingers to the cool glass pane of the window, Sasuke watched the car disappear down the road. It had been black. Expensive. Beyond the means of the family's current income, for sure. Their father would have called it a waste of money to own such a car. To make such a show of wealth.

When Sasuke got up from the couch and turned around, his father was staring. Not at him, but out the window.

"Father?" His voice cracked.

Slowly, his father's eyes moved and acknowledged his youngest son. "Sasuke," he said, voice gruff, "Do we wear our shoes in this house?"

Sasuke looked down at his feet. He'd forgotten to remove his shoes before he'd run into the living room. "Sorry, father." He sat down on the couch and began taking them off. There was a shine to the leather. He'd buffed them last night.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up. "Yes, father?"

"Do not follow down the same path as your brother."

Sasuke could do nothing but blink stupidly. "Father?"

"Do not bring shame on this family, Sasuke. Like your brother has done us." He gazed down at his son for a long time.

Sasuke, no longer able to hold his father's gaze, looked away from him, eyes sweeping up the fireplace to the family portrait on the mantelpiece. He touched his palm to the front of his chest, rubbing it where it ached. When he looked over to where his father had just been, he was no longer there. Sasuke heard the steps creak and knew his father was going to his bedroom.

He sat for a long time in the living room as shadows started to elongate and creep across the carpet. Outside, he heard a rumbling noise and knew now that the sound from before had not been a firework. Soon, it would rain, and, vaguely, he worried about the game being cancelled. Then he remembered he hadn't been able to tell his father about being the starting pitcher. He slid off the couch and went back to the entranceway, where he put his shoes away in the closet. The light from the kitchen was still on. Sasuke stood in the doorway. His mother was sitting at the table, her back to him, fingers tightly gripping a half-filled glass of water.

Sasuke didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.

* * *

When Sasuke awoke in the middle of the night, he was not frightened by the dark figure sitting on the edge of his bed. The window was open. He could hear the steady patter of the rain. Nothing more than a summer storm.

"I'm the starting pitcher for Saturday's game," he said quietly.

Itachi's silhouette was ghostly as moonlight streamed through the blinds that gently knocked against the wall with the wind. Light fell only on the bottom portion of his brother's face, showing the grim line of his mouth.

"Are you?" Itachi turned and looked down at him. He had his long hair pulled into a loose ponytail.

Sasuke nodded. "You worried mother."

"I know."

He raised his eyes to the ceiling, listening to the rain. Max whimpered from downstairs. "You woke Max. Did you just come in? What time is it?" Sasuke lifted himself to a sitting position and leaned against the headboard.

"It's late," said his brother.

Sasuke frowned. "What did you and father fight about?"

Neatly, Itachi folded his hands in his lap and sighed. "Father is a coward, Sasuke."

"I don't understand."

Itachi leaned over the bed and pressed two fingers to Sasuke's forehead. He left them there for a while. Sasuke counted each second. Itachi shrugged and started to draw his arm away, but Sasuke grabbed for his wrist and held it.

"Itachi."

Itachi moved toward him and whispered in his ear. "One is still what one is going to cease to be and already what one is going to become. One lives one's death, one dies one's life. Do you know who said this, Sasuke?"

Sasuke clenched his fingers more tightly around his brother's wrist. "No." He pronounced the word slowly, ashamed he had surely disappointed his brother. "What does it mean?"

Itachi cupped the side of Sasuke's face. Out of surprise, Sasuke released the grip he had on his brother and shied away.

"Father's coming," Itachi said. He put distance between them as he went to his original spot on the edge of the bed.

Just as Sasuke was about to speak, there was a knock on the bedroom door. Without waiting for a response of any kind from inside, the door swung open, and the hallway light pooled out from behind the outline of their father. There was an explosion of shouting. Sasuke knew he cried out when their father backhanded Itachi across the face. His brother and father stumbled and fought, spilling out into the hallway. Max started barking. Sasuke scrambled out of his bed, but was stopped from leaving his room by his mother, who stood in the doorway with her fingers pressed against her lips.

"Let your father take care of it," she said and closed the door.

The door to Itachi's bedroom banged shut. Sasuke listened by the door, but all had gone quiet, even Max. Eventually, the light from underneath the door went out. Afraid of displeasing his mother and father, Sasuke made his way back to his bed and pulled the covers all the way up to his chin. The blinds rattled. He closed his eyes. Underneath the sheet, he curled his hand as if holding a baseball and started going through all of the pitches he knew, positioning his fingers accordingly: fastball, splitter, curveball, screwball, slider. He didn't stop even when his hand began to cramp. He didn't stop when the tears began to fall.

* * *

A nightmare startled Sasuke awake, the sound of a loud _bang _like a gunshot ringing in his ears. The pain in his hand made him wince. Outside the window, dawn was beginning to break and birds were chirping. Sleep made his muscles feel heavy, or maybe it was the effect of his overzealous training during practice yesterday. He tried to fit together his dreams, but it was like putting a puzzle together without knowing the original image.

Eventually, he threw the sheet off and got out of bed. Right away, his right calf muscle cramped and he cursed quietly. It subsided once he massaged it for a little while. Sasuke glanced at the clock on his desk. It was almost 5 a.m. and soon his parents would be up. Father and mother would leave for work. He couldn't wait that long.

He tried not to make any noise as he opened the door and crept down the hallway. To get to Itachi's room, he had to pass by his parents'. One of the floorboards creaked. At a spot he should have known to avoid. Sasuke stopped and held his breath, listening for his father. When nothing happened, he continued until he was standing in front of his brother's door. He hesitated at first, wondering if he should knock, but, gathering his courage, he opened the door.

Sasuke saw the outline of his brother under the sheets. He had no idea why such a sense of relief washed over him. It made him feel like even being caught now by his father wouldn't have mattered. Even if it meant the belt. He nearly laughed but had the sense to shut the door behind him first. He considered tackling Itachi, even if it would have made his brother very angry. The idea seemed childish, though, so Sasuke, remembering how he'd seen Itachi last night, sat on the edge of the bed. Itachi's bedroom window looked out onto the back yard, which was always well kept by his mother. There was a small vegetable and herb garden. She liked roses, as well. He had helped her plant at least three bushes already. They were in bloom now. He thought he could smell them from here, mixed with the fresh scent of last night's rain. There was a peace he felt that couldn't quite be explained. He tried to remember the words Itachi spoke to him last night. He wanted to ask his brother what they'd meant.

Sasuke prodded his brother in the side, first with his fingers and then, lifting his leg onto the bed, with his foot.

"Itachi," he whispered, poking him again.

Exasperated, Sasuke crawled onto the bed and whipped back the sheets only to discover a pile of pillows and a note in his brother's place. He smiled at first, thinking it a game or a secret of some kind, but then the spell broke and the dread that had accompanied his nightmares flared up again, making him panic. Sasuke grabbed the piece of paper. He read it three times before he could comprehend what it was he was reading.

Sasuke couldn't say why, at that moment, he just _knew _he would never see his brother again. He should have run to his parents right away and told them Itachi had gone. He could've called the police. Instead, he collapsed upon the pile of pillows and tried to inhale Itachi's scent. He lay there for what felt a very long time. On his way out of Itachi's room, he grabbed the bottle of cologne on his brother's dresser. Sasuke brought it to his room and hid it away inside his underwear drawer. He looked one more time at the note Itachi had written, the scrawl small and neat. Then he glanced out the window, feeling as though beyond this room he'd find he had awoken in a whole other reality, an alternate dimension. Drawing his eyes away from the window, he carefully studied the spot where Itachi had been sitting on his bed only a few hours ago.

When nothing happened, when the world didn't suddenly fall apart, when no one jumped out of his closet to surprise him and tell him this was a joke...Sasuke went to his parents' bedroom, hand clenching the note, and knocked on the door.

* * *

TBC


End file.
